Some Devil
by Phoenix Bradley
Summary: A Willy Wonka fic. Summary inside. This is dedicated to those who have battled, or are still battleing with clinical depression. There is still hope no matter what. And for some reason the periods and ? decided not to show up. i dunno why.
1. Freak

Some Devil

by, Smeagol's girl

(A/N: A Wonka fic. This is not mary-sue angst, at least it's not meant to be. A lot of this is based off what I know from both personal experience and having friends deal with these things. I only own unfamiliar characters, but nothing else. I'm only going to say it once so I don't sound like a broken record. broken record. broken record. broken record...

Summary: Chocolate is the best medicine for emmotional pain. For Reya, a Wonka bar always makes to seem life easier, so to her, Wonka's always been there for her. But will it be enough to get her through highschool while she's battleing with depression she can't control? This is dedicated to those who have or have at one point struggled with, clinical depression and self injury. There is hope, and pain can't last forever.)

I hopelessly, helplessly

Wonder why

Everything gotta change

Around me

I'd tell it to your face

But you lost your face

Along the way

And I'd say it on the phone

If I though you were alone

Why do things have to change?

But you don't need my pictures on your wall

You say you need no one

And you don't need my secret midnight call

I guess you need no one

Is anybody waiting at home for you?

Cuz it's time that will tell

If it's Heaven, if it's Hell or if it's

Anybody waiting at home for you?

Cuz it's time that will tell this tale...

-'Hopeless', Train

Reya was the first customer the candy store owner had that made him feel uneasy. She trudged in, shaking the falling snow out of her dark blue dyed hair in two braids, and was wearing a black t-shirt with the anarchy 'a' on it, black Hot Topic pants with dozens of chains clinking around, a long black trench coat that swayed as she walked, spike bracelets, and heavy black makeup with eye liner in the shap of tears running down her cheeks. To him, she seemed to be screaming at him to go die somewhere, and he made ready to run for the phone if he had to, to call the police.

But instead of lunging at him with a gun or knife or both, she walked over to the counter and looked up at him with a face that told him she'd just had something bad happen and she was not in the mood.

"Wh- what can I do for you" he asked. She pointed to the plain Wonka bars on the shelf behind him.

"I'll take one of those." He was still staring at her nervously and her eyes widened in disgust. "Please" she snapped. He shook himself out of thought and nodded.

"Of course" he said, turning and handing her the bar. She placed the money on the counter and started to walk away.

"Keep the change" she said, and she was gone. A sense of releif watched over him and he knew now why he would mostlikely need 911 on speed dial, with people like that walking around.

Reya was a seventeen year old girl, going on eighteen in four months. Middleschool had been a major pain for her, and it had only dragged on into highschool. Seventh grade was when she had first moved out there because of her father's midlife crisis. She hated everything about this place and was counting down the days till she turned eighteen and could move out of that craphole.

"Hey vampire" shouted a voice from behind. She turned and looked to see a college boy wearing a football sweatshirt and a sick smile approaching her. Her breath caught in her throat, but she nodded.

"What" she asked.

"Is this hour good for you, because I am in desperate need of a bite to join you league of the undead."

Reya rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't waste it on you. Who the heck would want you to live forever" She turned and started to walk away.

"Hey! You got no right, talking to me like that, freak"

"Watch me" she muttered under her breath, quickening her pace as the boy started to follow her. The snow was falling down heavily and she wanted to get home soon so she wouldn't freeze to death.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, freak"

She continued walking, only a little faster, and when she heard him shout and start to run at her, she ran with full speed, all the while thinking, what did I do to him?

Across the street, Willy Wonka, chocolate maker mastermind, was glancing at the front page of his news paper when he heard the angry college boy, shouting at someone. His eyes strayed up and he saw a black figure running for all she was worth with the boy in hot persuit behind her. His eyes narrowed, and he tapped his cane on the frosted sidewalk in front of him, and started across the street and on to the sidewalk.

It wasn't till he saw the boy chase her into an alley that he broke into a run, holding his top hat on with one hand. When he rounded the corner, he saw the girl run up to the back, and turn around in time for the boy to pin her there.

"No" she started sobbing. "Leave me alone"

"C'mon, freak, I just want one bite" said the boy. He reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out, what looked like a cell phone, and stomped on it. The girl trying to get away, and Willy approached them, bringing his cane down on the boy's head with a hard whack. The boy turned around, eyes wandering a little from dizziness, and looked at him. "Stay out of this, pimp, this don't concern you" he snapped, turning around to the girl.

Willy hit him over the head again, and when he turned around, he hit him again. "That's not very nice, my dear boy" he said with a funny little grin. Reya stared at him in shock, clearly not expecting this.

"Oh yeah" said the boy. Willy nodded. "Well neither is this" He tried to throw a punch at him, but Willy merely ducked out of the way and the boy's hand met with the brick wall. He gave a painful cry, and Willy turned to him, examining his hand.

"Oh oh oh" he said, shaking his head. "That doesn't look to good. Take my advice young man. Get a doctor to fix this, go back to school and get an education, and then get a high paying job to rise above the rest. Don't let yourself sink down to this, you've got too much life ahead of you. And I really don't think you'd preffer to spend it in prison for being another one of those 'dumb kids.' No, that won't do. I think you'd just better leave."

The girl stared at Willy with wide eyes, shocked and a little disturbed, and the college boy wore somewhat the same expression. He looked half ready to tear Willy's face clean off his head, but his hand hurt too much, so instead he spat at him and stormed off, threatening he would sue him for every sorry penny he had.

"Well that does seem to be the American way now-a-days, doesn't it" he muttered, and then bent down, picking up the cell phone, or what was left of it. Reya stared at it mournfully. How was she going to explain this to her parents without telling them everything that had actually happened"Am I right in assuming this is yours"

"It was" she said glumly.

"You need to report this to the police, my dear." She made a sarcastic face.

"Oh what a truly wonderful idea! I wonder why I didn't think of that three cell phones ago" He didn't look bothered by this, in fact, he seemed still serious about reporting it to the police. "Listen, sir, whoever you are. Things are different for people like me who aren't afraid to express themselves and step out of the mold, okay? Going to the police is just a joke to them. They'd immediatly assume things went the other way around. That I'd stolen the phone from that creep and broke it. I know in the perfect world we want this to be, prejudices would not exist, but unfortunetly this is real life, and the police won't help."

He nodded, but then looked at her questioningly. "Have you even tried, may I ask"

"Twice" she said darkly. "They don't care. They think I'm getting what I deserve. After all, people like me are always starting school shooting's, right" She rolled her eyes and started to walk away, but he swung his cane in front of her, stopping her. "What" she cried.

He grinned and held up the Wonka bar. "You dropped this, ma'am" he said, handing it to her. She took it from him and nodded.

"Uh, thanks" she said. "I gotta go or my dad's gonna kill me."

"I highly doubt that. After all, he is your father and he loves you, doesn't he" She giggled a little.

"You know what I mean, Mr. uh"

"Read your chocolate bar" he said, and walked off. She looked down and saw nothing but the white letters spelling out WONKA across it. She looked up and made a face. There was nothing on the bar.

"Huh" she asked. He turned, strolled over to her, swinging his cane, and then pointed to the word WONKA with his purple gloved hand.

"It's right there" he said, giving her a strange sort of grin, and then walked off. After he had rounded the corner she looked at the bar again.

Willy was only a few feet away from the alley when he heard the girl shout"You've got to be kidding me" He grinned inwardly and continued down the sidewalk. "Wait" He waited and she ran in front of him.

"Who are you, really" she demanded, eyes narrowing.

"My dear girl, I do believe I just told you, or do you suffer from short term memory loss"

"I suffer from suspicion" she said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me the truth"

"Why would I lie"

"Mr. Wonka never leaves that factory, everyone knows it. Who are you and don't lie" He shrugged.

"I am the great Willy Wonka."

"You need serious help" she said, sneering and walking away.

"Ma'am" she heard him call.

"Forget it! I'm not going to stand here and listen to you lie to me! I'm tired of people lying to me" She turned around and he saw there were tears in her eyes. "You people are all the same. You see a girl and you'll say anything to lure her over. Even claim to be Willy Wonka himself! I'm not falling for it again"

"Actually I was going to ask your name" he said, not seeming to be bothered by her yelling at him.

"Reya" she answered. "And at least I don't lie about my name."

With that she left and he stood there watching her leave. Reya could feel his eyes on her, and she hugged herself and walked faster, her trench coat swaying wildly behind her.

-

(A/N: The floppy disk I saved this on decided to act weird, so let me know if anything weird happened to the chapter, like it suddenly jumped somewhere. I didn't have time to read it and check. I need reveiws people! Just be somewhat courteous por favor. Gracias!

-Smeagol's (you can't see me mwa!hahahaha!) girl.)


	2. Unbelievable

(A/N: I apologize for the punctuation problems when the characters were talking in the last chapter. I honestly don't know what happened. Must've been a floppy disk glich or something. Anyway, read on.)

"Anything good happen today" asked Mrs. Carmen as Reya drank down a hot cappuccino. She glanced at her mom, thought for a minute, and then shook her head.

"No" she answered.

"Nothing" asked her mother.

"No."

"Something had to have happened." She thought about a little longer.

"No, actually nothing did." Her mother sighed and rested her chin in her hand.

"I'm worried about you" she said softly. "You've seemed very down lately. Something wrong"' Reya made a face. What the heck was this woman talking about.

"Nothing's wrong, mom" she sarying to make yourself hurt."

Her mother made a face. "You know I'm not doing that"

"What ever. I'm going to my room." She stood up and left, running up the stairs and then walking into her room, wishing she had a lock for the door. Jumping onto her bed, and giving an exasperated sigh, she pulled out the Wonka bar from her coat pocket and unwrapped it. Sinking her teeth into the chocolate.

Wonka bars always made her feel better. Ever since she was little she would have a hidden Wonka stash somewhere the munch on when things got bad. And judgeing by the number of bad days she'd had lately, she knew it was a miracle that she wasn't seventy pounds heavier.

Thinking of the strange man on the alley who'd helped her, she started snickering. "Wonka" she muttered. "Might as well have claimed he was the messiah while he was at it. Idiot." (A/N: I'm not comparing Wonka to Jesus so don't get mad). Then a thought hit her. What did the real Wonka look like? Some agoraphobic nut? No, not him. No one who could make chocolate taste this good would be crazy. He had to come out once in a while.

She decided she'd wait outside the gate for him to come out. He had to get his mail at some point.

So the next morning she found herself perched outside of the gates, waiting. She had just gotten there as the mail truck was loading his mailbox, so she knew he would have to come out to get it. What she wasn't expecting was a good six hour wait before hand. She was very cold by that point, and knew he was probably was feeling just as impatient, waiting inside the factory for her to leave. "Figures" she muttered. But just as she was ready to give up, the large brown doors to the factory opened and she heard footsteps. Sucking in her breath, she moved to a place where she could see him but he couldn't see her.

What she saw, made her wonder if the cold hadn't droven her nutty. A short man with green hair and a bright orange face went to check the mail. She rolled her eyes. It wasn't Wonka. She was leaned up against a long bush that formed a tall wall between her and the factory. "Mother..." she growled. The the bush behind her started to russle, and she looked around. It was probably a cat or dog nearby, taking a crap on his lawn. She snorted. And may he do it twice, she thought to herself. She started to stand, but a hand came down on her shoulder through the bush and she jumped with a squeal.

"Get off" she shouted, pushing it away and jumping to her feet. "Creep" she shouted, running to the gate to see who had the nerve to...

She froze. A man was standing there, holding back a laugh. It was the same man who had helped her. The short orange man walked up to him, handing him his mail.

"Your mail, Mr. Wonka" he said and walked off.

"Thankyou" he said with a smile and turned to her. Her jaw was dragging on the sidewalk as she approached the gate and she leaned on the metal bars, looking in.

"I don't believe it" she muttered. "You live here..."

"Yes" he said, smiling.

"So you're really..."

"Uh-huh." She looked down, thuroughly embarrassed and nodded.

"Right then" she said. "Sorry about yesterday then." He nodded.

"Yesterday's in the past. And now you know the truth. So let's do start over again shall we" He stuck out his hand through the bars. "Mr. Willy Wonka" he said. She smirked and shook his hand.

"Reya Carmen" she responded, nodding.

"Delighted" he said, beaming. She had to admit, he didn't seem half bad now. Now that he wasn't lying. "My dear lady you look absolutely frozen! Don't tell me you waited out here since the crack of dawn? For future refference I send an oompalumpa to get my mail around noon to avoid mobs of fans. They are rather irritating, really."

"You mean to tell me it's noon" she asked, looking at her watch. "Crap! My mom's going to drive me up the wall when I get home." He stroked his lower lip with his finger and thought for a minute.

"True, but I doubt she'll be any more pleased to have you returned as a popcycle."

"Won't be the first time" she muttered, looking around. He grinned and shrugged.

"Would you like to come inside" Her eyes widened.

"What" she cried. "Are you serious"

"At most times, no. I find it's more fun to be a little crazy once in a while. But yes, would you like to come inside" Reya shrugged.

"Sure" she said, inside she was jumping up and down with excitement. Somehow she found it hard to express that excitement so she just smiled as he unlocked the gate and let her in. "This is awesome" she siad softly and he smiled.

"Wait till you see the inside then" he said and lead her in. When she stepped inside, it didn't look too special. Just like the inside of any other building. But something inside told her to wait, things were going to get interesting. "I must ask you to pardon the mess. I rarely have visitors" he said. But the place looked fine. He reminded her of her mother a little, and she began to hope that he was not like her by much.

An oompalumpa passed by and looked at her up and down as he passed, leaving with a strange look on his face and shaking his head as if he were disgusted. Typical, she thought. She was wearing all black again, only this time it was just a black sweatshirt with neon green stitching, black Hot Topic pants covered with zippers, and a spiked dog collar with a chain leash.

"Right this way" said Wonka, and he lead her down the hall and to a glass door with a combination lock. She didn't watch the combination since it wouldn't be polite, and waited till she heard the door open. The room inside was some sort of crazy zebra stripe design and it looked like it was getting smaller towards the end. "We'll just go through the door on the other side and on we go."

Reya couldn't see a door, but shrugged. He had helped her the day before. The least she could do was trust him. She walked through and met with the back wall and no door. "Uh, there's no door" she said, looking at him.

"That's strange" he muttered. "I know it was here somewhere... ah! Right there" She turned and he was pointing to the door they had just come in. He walked to it, and she was about to say something when he opened it and the other room was a completely different room.

"What the..." she muttered. "How'd you do that" she asked.

"I'm slightly deaf, my dear. Speak a little louder next time. Follow me"

She shrugged and followed him anyway, wondering if she was on an acid trip and didn't know it. As they walked on through the hall she noticed the ceiling was coming down lower, to the point where she was bent over. "Is it just me or is the room getting smaller" she muttered to no one in particular.

"Or perhaps you're getting bigger" said Willy, looking over at her.

"I've always wanted to be taller, Wonka, but this is ridiculous" she chuckled.

He beamed and nodded, pointing to a door.

"This room here is one of my most favorites" he said softly. "You can eat almost everything in here."

"It's all candy"

"Most of it" he said, nodding. "When I took the five children with the golden tickets here they went wild."

"Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten about that" she said softly. He opened the musical lock, much to her amusement, and the door opened. Only now, it was a normal sized door and the entire room was at regular height. Perhaps she had been getting taller? When she looked at the room though, her eyes seemed to be disconected to her skull because they were bulging out so far. "Oh... my... God..." she muttered.

"Well go on" he said cheerfully. "Check it out, but do not touch the chocolate river. It's not meant to be contaminated." She smiled, nodding, and walked around. The first thing that caught her eyes were the gummy bears the size of skateboards hanging from the trees. She jumped up and brabbed onto a bright red one, laughing when it didn't come loose. It dangled for a minute and then gave way, sending her tumbling to the ground. Willy snickered from where he stood and walked over to her as she tore off an eay with her hand and took a bite out of it. Her eyes grew big and she started waving a hand over her mouth.

"Oh" she said, trying to chew it down and swallow it fast. Willy merely laughed.

"Oh yes, some of the red ones are hot cinnamon flavored so be careful." She swallowed down the bite and laughed a litte.

"I guess" she said, caughing. "Man, that was good." She took another bite, smaller this time, and he walk over to the orange tree with chocolate oranges, and pulled one off, whacking it on the trunk of the tree and it came apart in a dozen slices in his hand. He sat down across from her and ate a peice. "So is that an orange or is it chocolate" she asked.

"It's both" he said. "Try it." He handed her a slice and she took a bite of it. It had the texture and flavor of regular chocolate, but at the same time it had an orange flavor to it too. It was so delicious that she put the rest of the slice in her mouth.

"What will he think of next" she said, immitating the crazy commercials on TV. He chuckled and nodded.

"Even I don't know that" he said with a strange shrug. "But I guess no one will until it happens, will they? No. My mind is too complex for even I to understand."

"Been there, done that" she said, nodding.

"Do you do anything creative in your spare time"

"I write" she said, smirking.

"Do you keep a journal or do you write stories"

"Both" she said. "Only I spend more time on stories than I do on journaling."

"Splendid! It's hard to find teenagers who love writing."

"I know" she said with a small smile. "Too many of them think of it like writting a report for school. They just don't understand how much fun it is. Writting's my life, and I can't see myself doing anything else in all honesty."

"That's precisely how I feel about the chocolate factory, my dear. Other people may not understand, but I don't need them to."

"Can I ask you something then" she asked. He nodded, taking another bite of the orange. "I heard a rumor that you were giving the factory away to a little boy... Charlie, I think it was. I don't remember. Was it true" He nodded.

"It was" he asnwered. "He was to move in immediatly."

"Then, why hasn't he? Or is he here"

"No" he answered, his gaze saddening. "He's not here. He wasn't ready to take over the factory. He wants to wait till he's older." Reya could tell he wanted to talk about something else so she stopped, even though she wanted to know more.

"I never thanked you for yesterday" she said, looking up. "Chasing off that boy, and trying to help with the cell phone."

He smiled again as if nothing had happened. "You're most welcome" he answered. "And someday that boy may thank me to, or at least think he should. If I hadn't stopped him, he probably would've done something to land him in jail, and he'd have thrown his life away right then and there."

"Never really thought of that." She was about to take another bite of the gummi bear when her phone started ringing. The tone was the music to Gilligan's Island, much to Willy's amusement.

"You got a new one" he asked.

"My mother loaned me hers. She didn't need it today. Sorry." She stood up and walked away a few feet and turned her back to him. "Hello" She paused and he could hear a voice on the other end. "What? Linz, is that you? Well, I'm kind of busy right now... uh-huh. Okay. Mom said you're not allowed to dial her cell phone unless it's an emergency... No, I won't tell her... No, I don't know where she is. She must've gone to the store... Oh, you're fine... Linz you're a big girl, you can turn on the TV by yourself. Just push the button. No, I can't right now. Okay, listen I need to go... Dad's cell phone? Okay it's 543-2109. Okay, I gotta go now. Okay, bye. Bye. Bye." She hung up and came back, smirking a little.

"That was just my little sister, Lindsay" she said softly. "She's completely helpless sometimes."

"Weren't we all at that age" She nodded.

"True."

"Would you like to see more" he asked, standing up.

"Sure" she said with a smile. It's better than going home, she thought to herself.

-

"Where have you been" asked Reya's mother as she stepped in the house.

"Around" said Reya.

"Your father said he hadn't seen you leave this morning."

"I left early" she said, as she walked over to the fridge.

"Don't eat anything. You'll spoil your dinner" she scolded. Reya looked over.

"What's for dinner"

"Chicken." Reya's eyes rolled as she closed the fridge.

"Again" she asked. "You do know that there are other meats available, right"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. Don't be so dramatic." The front door opened and Reya's father stepped in, brushing the snow out of his hair.

"What's for supper" he asked.

"Chicken" said Reya in a glum tone.

"Again" Reya snickered and her mother stood up.

"Fine" she said. "If chicken's so terrible then I'll make meatloaf instead."

"Chicken" both Reya and her father shouted at the same time.

"So, where have you been all day" asked her father,

"Met with some friends and hung out" she said.

"Which friends"

"The ones you can see, dad" she said, snickering.

"Just making sure" he said. She snickered and shook her head.

"Rob" said her mother. "Ask her about her grades in history class." Reya's smile vanished. Leave it to mom to ruin a good moment. This was probably payback for the chicken.

"What about them" asked her father suspiciously.

"They're fine, mom" said Reya, giving her mother a nasty look before walking off to her room. Behind her she could hear her mother explain to her dad the homework situation, and she stormed off to her room, not wanting to put up with them right now.

Reya didn't hate school, which her parent's didn't understand. She just didn't care at all. She didn't care about her grades or if she failed, or the future. In her eyes there was no future. She couldn't even see herself making it to the end of the years. Her anger sky-rocketed when she banged her toe on the edge of her door.

"Argh" she cried, slamming the door furiously. "Sonofawhore" she muttered. "Sh" Hopping on one foot, she flopped down on her bed, holding her sore foot in her hands. "Ugh" she growled angrily, and was tempted to throw something at the door, to get even. Instead, she crawled to the other side on the mattress which was pressed against a wall she liked to lean on at night. She rolled over to her front was facing it, forehead pressing against the wall, and she slipped off her sweatshirt, allowing the cold air to consume her.

She was wearing a black tanktop underneath and pulled it off slowly, flinching in pain. Now she was laying there in her undershirt with a braw underneath. Her arms were icy cold as well as her back, but she didn't care. She moved her right arm across her chest and placed her hand on the back of her left shoulder. The tips of her fingers traced over sore lines, red lines that ran all over the back of her shoulder, like cat scratches.

It hurt a little to touch them, but not very much. In fact, they looked worse than they really were, especially to anyone who knew where they came from. Maybe this was why she was always alone. She had few friends, if any, at school, and at the church she was constantly dragged to, she was always concious of the way people stared at her in her black clothing. People always stared at her. She always said to herself that she didn't care, but in secret she did. Nasty people with their narrow minds and hard hearts. If only they knew.

Her mind drifted to Wonka and his factory. He would've never let her in if he knew what sort of person she was. She had deserved what that boy had done to her cell phone yesterday. If Wonka knew what sort of teen she was, he'd have encougraged the boy on. She didn't deserve the help she had gotten. She didn't deserve anything, only pain. All these thoughts filled her head, and she knew she had to get them out. Storing hate inside was like trying to store poison in her body. It destroyed from the inside, so the only solution was to get it out. Her hand reached under her pillow, and she pulled out the small purse and unzipped the side pocket. A metal object fell out and she used it to get those thoughts and feelings out.

About a half hour later she slipped her tanktop back on along with her sweatshirt, hiding those red lines. Those ugly wretched burning lines that stretched out like long red worms. She covered them over with her clothes, and fell asleep right there, the metal object slightly covered in blood still in her hand.

-

Reya wandered down the halls of school, not making any eye contact with anyone. The others were all staring at her like they always did. She tried to ignore them, but couldn't. Some of them were saying things behind her back but she still heard them.

"Hey freak" shouted someone from behind. Reya walked a little faster, her trench coat billowing behind her, but the boy walked faster too. "Why don't you go back to Collumbine" She stopped dead in her tracks. Her hands were clenched into fists and she turned around, ready to hurt him so bad...

"Don't" said a voice. Her friend, Mary was behind her and grabbed her by the arm. "Just walk away, Reya. C'mon."

"He had no right" she said, tears forming in her eyes. Mary tugged her back a little, and Reya shouted "No right" at the boy. Mary managed to pull her away and walked with her down the hall until they came to a stop, out of sight of the boy.

"Okay" said Mary. "Let it out. Scream."

"I hate all of them" she cried. "What did I do to them? Why can't they leave me alone? I hope they all die" She started crying and Mary gave her a hug.

"It's okay" she said.

"No it's not" Reya pulled away and ran her hand through her hair. "Do you remember Claire"

"Who doesn't"

"Do you remember when she left? When she left because she tried to"

"Yes, Reya."

"That's the same a-hole that told me it was my fault! He said I might as well have shoved those pills down Claire's throat."

"Reya, he's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"He doesn't know how much it hurts"

"But it wasn't your fault. No one saw it coming."

Reya wiped tears away. "I hate all of them. I'm going home."

"You're going to skip the rest of the day"

"I don't care." She turned and walked away, heading for the bathrooms. Once she was sure she was alone, she locked the stall door, sat down on the floor and pulled out a thumbtack from her pocket.

-

Reya left, claiming to be sick, and said she would walk home. Instead, she walked back down to the town and wandered around. "My goodness, how the school days seemed to have shortened" said a voice. She turned and saw Willy Wonka, sitting on a bench with his newspaper, not even looking at her.

"Yeah, whatever" she said, walking by.

He glanced up at her and stood up, following her. "My dear girl, is something wrong"

"No" she said, forcing a smile while tears still ran down her face. "Everything's all good an' dandy! Yeeha" She stopped walking as tears fell too hard and placed a hand over her mouth. Willy had caught up to her and placed one hand over her shoulders, and the other on her left arm, just below the shoulder.

"Come with me" he said softly. "Let's go talk somewhere."

"I don't wanna talk" she said softly.

"Then you can cry. No use fretting outside in the cold though. It doesn't help to have tears frozen in your eyes. Come with me."

Feeling too, she hated the word, helpless to object, and walked with him, and he lead her back to his chocolate factory, and took her into a new room that looked like a sort of courtyard in the springtime. It was warm and it looked like the sun was shinning. She'd never believe it was winter. She walked with him to a willow tree and sat down, drying her eyes and trying to stop crying.

"Do you want to tell me what happened now, my pet" he asked. She shook her head. "Would you like some hot chocolate" She nodded and he pulled a whistle out of his jacket pocket, blowing a weird tune to summon an oompalumpa over. One came almost immediatly, and she wondered if they just hid behind corners waiting for him. He sent the oompalumpa off to get the hot chocolate, and then moved so he was sitting in front of her.

"Why do you keep following me" she asked, looking up.

"My dear girl, I have not followed you at all! I saw you walking down the sidewalk, and you looked upset so I wanted to try and help."

"It's just that, whenever something bad happens to me, you're always seem to be there" she said. "Almost as if you're expecting it."

"It is only a coincidence, I can assure you. But if you preffered me to stop helping I could."

"That's not what I meant" she said softly.

Their hot chocolate came, and she sipped it quietly, willing herself not to cry. She'd been crying a lot lately, sometimes for no reason at all. She'd just start crying and feel miserable, like the world had just come crashing down on her. Sometimes it even felt like it had.

"You're in highschool, correct" he asked. She nodded. "What year"

"Senior" she answered. She was almost eighteen and was eager to leave.

"I was homeschooled. I never went to any public schools with other people."

"Sounds lonely" she said.

"I actually quite enjoyed it. I guess you could say I've carried on my secluded life style."

"Well I've seen you on the streets more often." He smiled and nodded, taking a sip of cocoa. "It's not that I hate school. I'd rather be there than homeschooled because I'm used to being around people. Even though I ignore them it'd be too much of a change to just suddenly switch to being homeschooled."

"So you don't hate people then"

"I don't hate them. I hate what they can do to others. How they can hurt you."

"It's a hard world out there. You just need to learn how to be a pillow." She made a face.

"What" she snickered. He smiled and shrugged. "That was random."

"Young lady, I'm all about random."

"That's a good thing" she said. There were still tears in her eyes and she was trying to dry them away, but they kept coming back.

"I've been meaning to tell you something" said Willy after a moment. "You always seem to have a self-doubt about you. Like you think you're a mistake." She glanced up. Was it that obvious"There are people in this world who will try to convince you of that because they can't understand how precious people are. There will be people who'll try to put you down. Don't let them. Show them that you are who you are and are more than proud of it."

"I have to go" she said suddenly, standing up. "The school's probly called my mom by now and I'm in trouble..." It was obvious that she was just trying to find a reason to leave, but he let her go, almost as if he knew it'd help her. He walked with her to the gate and then unlocked it, letting her out, and she paused, turning to him.

"Sorry I wasn't better company" she said softly. "I need to go home" she said. Her mind was dwelling on her blades hidden under her pillow and how badly she wanted to use them. She hated herself leaving just so she could go cut herself.

"If you ever need someone to talk to" he said softly. "I'm here." Reya's eyes started watering again for no reason, and he stepped over to her, giving her a hug. Reya felt like a two year old, wanting mommy to come and hug her and make it all better. She took the hug though and left, hugging herself for some comfort. She sighed and looked down. What was wrong with her?

-

(A/N: I'm thinking this'll be the next fic I'll talk about next month. For those who don't know, I always talk about one of my fics each month on my profile, where I got the ideas, things you don't know, stuff like that. It's sort of like a commentary I guess. So in March, look for this one on my profile. And every monday there's a new 'Weekly Funny' to check out, just so you know.)


	3. Subs and Swimming

(A/N: I am so sorry! I didn't realize I'd uploaded the wrong chapter! Sorry! Okay, here's the real deal!)

Reya didn't quite recall what she had been doing the previous night. She had been upset after argueing with her parents, went upstairs for bed, found a pair of scissors, and now it was five in the morning and she was filling a bathtub with warm water. Her whole body stung. How late had she stayed up cutting? She didn't remember. The water was high enough and she shut it off, surprised at how quiet it was now without the water running.

She stripped out of stained pajamas, very slowly because her body felt like it was on fire, and slipped into the water, gasping in pain as the water filled the cuts. Reaching for the srubbing puff, she put a big drop of body wash on it and began cleaning herself off, gritting her teeth and letting tears fall down her face from pain. There was dried blood on her legs, arms, some of her chest, her stomach, and even her back, where she had been able to reach anyways.

It hurt. Oh god it hurt. But eventually she grew accustomed to the feeling until she was pleasantly numb, and allowed herself to sink under the water for a few seconds.

When she finally climbed out, she dried herself off, snuck the towel into the washing machine to wash off the blood before it could stain, and then got back into her pajamas and back into bed, drifting off to sleep slowly.

She stayed home 'sick' that day, greatful to have the house to herself and have a mental health day. Her parents knew something was wrong with her, but she never told them anything. They didn't know she was a cutting monster, and she wanted to keep it that way. They wouldn't be able to help her, they'd make it worse. They'd make her feel worse, and then the cutting would get worse.

"It's what you deserve!" Jerry Springer seemed to be shouting to her from the TV. "You filthy little brat! You've got it so good and this is how you repay your parents! If I were them I'd throw you out on the streets myself!"

Reya had tears in her eyes and she flipped the channels. Nothing good was on so she put in a movie. Beauty and the Beast. She missed the days when she was little and used to be happy. Now everything was too hard. Everyone was wanting too much from her, expecting too much, things had gotten too hard too fast, and it felt like everyone was moving ahead while she stayed behind and got worse.

"...for who could ever love a beast?"

She turned over, her back facing the TV, and she fell asleep, not having any dreams.

-

The smell of chlorine from the pool was everywhere in the room, as Reya swam laps after school. It was the next day, and she had stayed after to swim as she had done every day since they had started the swimming unit in gym class. She was always self-concious in a bathing suit, but now that she had cuts to hide, she knew she couldn't be seen getting dressed in the locker room. Almost no one stayed after so getting changed where no one could see was not that difficult. To be safe, she wore a long sleeved white T-shirt that wasn't very long. For her excuse for the longsleeves, she said it was winter and she was freezing.

On this day, no one else had stayed after, an it was the same routine. Swim laps back and forth for fourty five minutes, taking five minute breaks when needed, and just do what the teacher said. The water was at a pleasant temperature for a change, and she glided through it back and forth over and over again, her legs gradually becoming sore. The cuts on her body did not sting, much to her surprise. She thought chlorine would've set them on fire, but it hadn't, and they felt just as painful as ever.

The fourty five minutes were almost over, and her gym teacher had left a long time ago, already knowing she'd do the swimming. Reya felt like a goody-two-shoes at times. She did what she was supposed to, even though at the moment she could name about five people who would've just changed and left. She was in no rush to go home, and found it easier to do the laps with no one there. IN her mind she imagined she was racing against someone, trying to win, with everyone on the sidelines cheering.

When she reached the wall on the deep end, she stopped, catching her breath and allowing her legs, which were threatening to cramp up, to relax for a moment. There were footsteps in the room, and she looked back to the large blue doors to see a familiar funny man walk in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not really that surprised to see him. "Do I have a candy man for a stalker?"

He was smiling, and strolled over, the bottom of his cane tapping the tile floor as he walked, and he kneeled down in front of her, pulling something out of his jacket pocket and handing it to her. Reya's eyes widened and she held it with her slightly wet hand.

"My cell phone?" she asked in shock. He nodded. "You fixed it?"

"It wasn't so much of a challenge compared to building the machine for my Everlasting Gobstoppers," he said with a grin.

"Wow, thanks," she said, smiling. "Can you set it on the bench for me?" He nodded and did so, setting his cane to the side with it.

"So, do you always swim in your clothes, or did you forget the other half of your bathing suit?"

"Oh yes, I forgot the other half of my one piece bathing suit," she said, giving him a smirk. "No, actually, I just don't like the way I look in a bathing suit, that's all." He looked around.

"But there was no one else here, my dear."

"The gym teacher was here earlier," she said, shrugging. "Besides, this shirt's warmer." He nodded, but she knew he didn't fall for it. She turned her back to him, allowed herself to sink a little under the water, and then kicked off the wall, breaking into a crawl stroke once she had surfaced. Willy walked along the edge as she swam, and stopped when she did.

"I understand you're on the drama club," he said when she surfaced.

"Huh?" she said, shaking the water out of her ears. The question replayed in her head and she nodded. "Oh, yeah. What about it?"

"What's the dates for the play?"

"Uh, there's like a huge sign in front of the school you could look at. But I think it's the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. Seven thirty for each of them. Yeah, it's something like that. Why? You coming?"

"I hope to," he answered. "I loved the play the school did last year, so I hope I'll have the time to see it. Are you acting? Or are you on stage crew?"

"Stage crew. I can't act for beans."

"You seem, to me, the dramatic type," he said. "You have a definitive way of expressiong yourself through clothing. Acting shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

"We always do two plays each year. I might audition for next time." Assuming every inch of me isn't covered in cuts by that point, she added in her mind.

"You should try out. You may have a hidden talent you didn't know about." She smirked.

"Yeah, I'm gifted alright." She chuckled and shook her head. "Are you paid to try and give people self esteem?"

"Why? Do I make you feel better about yourself?" She laughed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that'll take a lot of work, Wonka."

She kicked off again, this time doing a back stroke so she could watch him following her.

"So what brought you here? Just the cell phone?" she asked.

"I wanted to see how you were doing. Make sure you were feeling better." She bumped her head on the wall, and grabbed it with one hand and rubbed her head with the other.

"Oh yeah, just peachy," she grunted.

"How long do you have to swim for?" She glanced up at the clock.

"Oh! Crap! I was supposed to be done ten minutes ago." She pushed herself up on the wall and climbed out, water splashing off her and on the ground. Some of it getting on his shoes. "Sorry," she said. "I'll be back." As she walked off he turned and noticed a small, but visible red line on her back where her T-shirt had gone up and her bathing suit didn't cover.

When she returned, she was in jeans and a dark blue sweatshirt with a picture of Bob Marley on it.

"No black?" he asked.

"I need to do my laundry," she said. She hadn't even bothered to brush her hair out, mainly because she was just going to wash it when she got home. So instead it was pulled back in a messy ponytail (one of those ones where you don't pull the hair all the way through. I don't know if they have a name for it.).

"Do you need a ride home?" he asked.

"No, actually. I can walk, it's not that far." She looked at her watch. "In fact, my parents are going to be working late tonight, so no one's home and I don't have a key. Can't go home, dang it." She felt in her pocket and found some money. Twelve dollars to be exact. "Guess I could go to Aunt Cookie's sub shop. Want to come with? My treat."

"I'd be delighted," he said kindly. "In fact, I've never been there before." Her eyes widened.

"You've never been to Aunt Cookie's? That's beyond sad. Holy crap, that's sad. C'mon. We need to fix that." He didn't take offense to this, but merely smiled, knowing she was a firm believer in joking around when she wanted to, but never to insult anyone.

They left the pool area, and he followed her to her locker, where she fought with the combo for a few minutes. When it did open, a binder lept out at her and hit her in the face. She rubbed the spot with a groan, and looked at her little magnet calander. "Nope, not a monday. But it sure as Hell feels like it." He snickered, and she loaded up her backpack, and as she went to zip it, Willy dropped something in there. Actually, two things. One being her cell phone, which she had forgotten about completely, and the other being a Wonka bar.

"Thanks," she said, snickering, and zipped up the rest of her bag.

They left the school, and she walked with him over to Aunt Cookie's, which was only a block away. It was a small, old fashioned building painted blue, with the words 'AUNT COOKIE'S SUBS: COME AND TASTE THE BEST SUBS IN TOWN' in big white letters in the window. They stepped inside, and she walked up to the counter. Behind them was four booths, and a window perch. In the back were two arcade games, one boxing, the other one Simpson's Bowling, and a pinball machine. There was a dry erase board on the counter leaned up against the wall, with words writting in three different colors saying, "Aunt Cookie's Subs. We warm your buns," which had always been a joke to her and her little sister.

A lady stepped up to take her order. "Six inch sub please on and Italian roll. Salami, provolone cheese, mustard, mayo, and lettuce." The woman jotted it down on a small square of brown paper and looked up again. Reya turned to Willy. "You want anything?" she asked.

"I'll have a ham sub, my dear lady. Sesame seed roll please, with, let's see, oh just put everything on it, except for onions. I do despise them with a passion. And one of those bags of barbecue chips."

"And a bag of sour cream and onion for me please," said Reya, noticing them for the first time.

"Okay, your total's ten fourty five." Reya handed her eleven dollars and the woman gave her back the change, and they waited for their subs. Reya found two extra dollars in her backpack and bought herself a Mt. Dew from the machine, and then gave Willy the change to get whatever he wanted. She watched as he walked over to the machine and held back a laugh. If anyone were to tell her a week ago that she'd be having subs with the great Willy Wonka himself, she'd have told them to take a hike.

"So do you always go here, ma'am?" he asked, returning with a root beer.

"Whenever I have the money to," she said. "Which is sad because this place isn't that expensive. I'm dirt poor, I swear."

"Do your parents give you an allowence?"

"Yes, but the funny thing about that is you have to work for it, which doesn't help me very much. I'm too lazy." He snickered, and she sighed, smiling a little. "I sleep a lot. My mom says she wonders if I'm still alive at times."

"Are you a sound sleeper?"

"Yes," she said laughing. "Oh, it's terrible. I've been known to sleep walk, and my parents found me walking around in the living room one time."

"Subs are up," called the woman behind the desk.

Reya started to get up, but Willy signalled her to stay seated. "Allow me," he said in a polite tone and she let him. At least he was a gentleman. He came back, handing her one sub and holding on to the other. "I'm not sure which is which," he said unwrapping his.

"This is yours," she said, swapping with him. She took a big bite out of her sub and washed it down with a large mouthful of Mt. Dew. "Oh, this is so good," she said softly. "I love how they toast the buns a little so they're warm."

"Wow, that is good," he said with a partial mouthful.

"Told you," she said. "I didn't eat anything today, so I'm sorry if I'm acting like a pig."

"Why didn't you eat?" he asked, seeming appalled.

"I never eat breakfast because I get up at five and leave around six thirty, but it's too early to eat. I get so sick when I eat that early. And today's lunch in the cafeteria was dog food nuggets, so I decided to wait."

"I doubt it was dog food," he said, smiling a little in amusement.

"Oh that's right," she muttered. "You didn't go to a public school. You didn't get to discover the wonder of cafeteria food." She shuddered. "They just meet FDA requirements."

"That's a dreadful thought," he muttered. She nodded.

"It's more dreadful to taste." She took another large bite, and wound up with mustard on her cheek.

"You have something right there," pointed out Willy, gesturing to his own cheek. She wiped it off, and smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "Be thankful it's not spaghetti. The sauce goes everywhere when I eat it."

"It's more fun that way," he said laughing. She nodded.

"That's what I said." Her sub was nearly gone by now, and she drank down two more large gulps of Mt. Dew. "So you're thinking about coming to the school play?"

"I hope to," he said softly. "They're usually pretty good."

"It won't be next year," she said sadly. "All the good actors are leaving because they're seniors like me, so all that's left are one or two younger students who can sort of act."

"You'd better try out for the spring play," he said, smiling. "I bet you'd do good." She sighed and looked out the window, nodding to herself.

"We'll see," she said softly.

"Indeed we shall." He pulled out his gold pocket watch and gasped. "Good gracious! Is that the time? Sorry, my dear, but I must be off. The oompa-loompa's get nervous if I'm gone for too long."

"Sounds like my parents," she muttered.

"They're only looking out for your best interest," he said, surprising her because she didn't think he'd heard her. "I hope to see you again sometime."

"You always do," she said, chuckling. She waved as he left, and he was waving to her and walking backwards at the same time. Since even he did not have eyes in the back of his head (though he probably would've liked that), he bumped into the door, making her laugh a little. He merely smiled, tipped his hat, and left.

"Oh goodness," she muttered. "No wonder they worry about him being off on his own."

-

(A/N: Thanks to those of you who are reading and reveiwing. My world would end if you stopped! I love y'all, DNQ.)


	4. What's This?

Reya went to her room to turn in for the night around 10:30ish, not bothering to say good night to anyone downstairs. When she had stepped in her room, the first thing she did was grab for the little blue purse and unzipped the small pocket. She did it so eagerly her finger scraped against the blade inside and she jumped, pulling her finger back for a breif moment. A trickle of blood began to flow and she stuffed it in her mouth, licking off the blood quickly. It didn't even hurt that much.

It was too quiet and she couldn't take it. Turning around she turned her radio on to the heavy rock and had it playing lightly so her little sister wouldn't hear it and wake up. The speaker rambled on and on about garbage, dissing everyone, and it made her laugh at times. She wasn't completely inhumane.

Her shirt slid off slowly, sometimes snagging onto the scabs of old ones, and she took her blade and began to work. Her mind was focused on the music, and her eyes weren't always looking. Why would she need to see what she was doing? It was going to look ugly either way. She felt like an animal, a sick wretched filthy animal, and she cut deeper. Her arms were feeling wet and sticky, but she didn't stop. She physically couldn't. It had become a morbid addiction that no she knew of understood. Almost no one knew about it either, because she didn't bother to tell them. It wasn't like they cared anyway.

She didn't stop, and she knew she had to. Her body was on fire again but she couldn't control her hands. She knew she needed to cut. It was what she deserved for being such a sick, wretched, slut. At the word 'slut' she cut harder than ever and tears stung her eyes.

Without warning, she dropped the blade on the bed, and it took amazing self control not to pick it up, or even think about it. She spoke to her body, as if she were a mother comforting a child on the virge of a tantrum. "It's okay," she whispered to herself. "Just sit still. You're done. It's okay, you're done. Don't even look at it. Don't even think about it. It's okay..."

It took an hour, but she finally was able to put the blade away and hide it from her parents. Once she had, she looked at the clock. 1:15am. Tears were still falling down her face, and she walked over, gently turning the radio off and slipped into bed, falling asleep fitfully.

-

When Reya came home from school she found a note taped on the door from her mother that read, "Gone out to Christmas shop with Mrs. Kenny. Be back around six. Spare key is sitting on top of the red truck. Love You!"

Reya turned. The spare key was on the same keychain that her father's work truck keys were on. The red truck was there, but the work truck was gone, and taped on the red truck was another note. She sighed and grabbed it, reading it. "Working late tonight. Back door should be unlocked. Love, Dad." Reya rolled her eyes and groaned. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered to herself. There was a crack of thunder, so she ran to the back door, trying to get in before it rained.

Grabbing the handle (it was a sliding glass door) she tugged, and just her luck, it was locked. "No way," she growled, tugging again. She ran to the front of the house and tried the front door. It was locked, and so were the windows. There was another crack of thunder and the rain came down on her. She shivered and looked up to the heavens. "OKAY! THAT LAST BIT DEFINITELY FELT LIKE MONDAY!" She could almost hear God laughing at her in response, and she groaned, deciding to go to Aunt Cookies and wait it out. As she walked down the sidewalk, she looked at the benches, seeing if her friendly stalker was there. For once, she didn't see him, and she shrugged.

She stepped into Aunt Cookies, and realized for the first time, what a wonderful thing heat was. She ordered her sub and played pinball while she waited. Her hair was half frozen, she was dripping wet and freezing, and a cough was getting ready to come out. She was a sight, so it was no wonder she heard the next few words.

"My dear girl, are you insane?" she heard the voice say. "Where's your coat?" She waited till the little metal ball went out of place and turned to Mr. Wonka, shivering and shrugged.

"In my house," she said. "Which is locked right now, and won't open till around six, so I've got..." She looked at the clock. "Three hours to freeze to death!" She turned and started again.

"That won't do at all," he said, shaking his head. The ball went out of place again it was game over for Reya. She groaned and turned.

"Yeah," she laughed. "My mom leaves a note, saying to use the spare key. My dad leaves a note saying he had to work, which means the spare key went with him since it's on his keychain. But he says the back door's unlocked. The back door's locked! Honestly people, a little brain power goes a long way." Willy snickered and nodded.

"That it does, dear girl."

"Sub's up!" called the lady behind the counter. Reya walked over to grab it. "For here or to go?"

"To go," said Willy, before Reya could answer. "You're coming over to my place to dry off. Can't have you dying from pneumonia, a cold, or chilliwompers."

"From what?" she asked, looking at him as she reached for her sub.

"They're dreadful creatures that freeze your blood until you become stiff as a popcycle. You do not want to catch one of those do you?" She nodded, thinking he was slightly touched in the head.

"I guess not," she muttered.

"Then come with me. We'll get you into some dry clothes and warm you right up. Let's not doddle. Time is a precious thing. Never waste it." She nodded, holding in a laugh and followed him out of the sub shop and over to the beautiful chocolate factory. As they walked, she hugged herself for warmth, not able to stop thinking of the chilliwhatevers Willy had mentioned before, even though she doubted they were real. The disadvantage of wearing dark clothes was they took forever to dry off. She had a longsleeved black T-shirt with a wide neck line what went across her shoulders so her clolar bones were visible, goosebumps and all. Her pants were black with suspenders that she had clipped in the back so it was in the shape of an 'x'. And of course, Converse All Star sneakers were not waterproof, even if they were green.

When they got to the chocolate factory, they ran to the door and stepped in as fast as possible. "You know," she said as he took off his coat and hung it. "You really should consider getting a car."

"I saw no need for one, young lady, seeing that I rarely leave this place and the town is a five minute walk, if that." He turned to her and was smiling like he almost always did. "Now, if you come with me, we'll get you into something warm. I'm sure I have something in your size."

"For girls?" she asked.

"Yes, naturally, unless you'd like to be a transvestite, which I am quite sure will disturb the oompa-loompas greatly." She laughed and shook her head.

"Wasn't planning to," she laughed. "Don't exactly roll that way. But if it's just you, and the oompa-loompas, why do you have girls clothes?"

"No harm in being prepared for cats who keep coming back, like you my dear girl."

"Hey, you invited me!" she pointed out.

"That I did. Now come with me, you're dripping water all over the floor." She glanced down at the floor, then nodded.

"Sorry," she said, and he led her down the hall, into a different part of the factory she'd never been in. For once, she was in a hall that looked normal, which was a little shocking for this place. He opened a door and they stepped into, what had to be his bedroom. It was large, very colorful, and there was a monster sized bed that looked so comfy. She'd give anything to spend one night in it. "Whoa," she muttered. "Really big room."

"You know what they say, the bigger the better, right?" She nodded.

"My bedroom is a shoebox, it's so tiny."

"I'll be right back," he said, turning to the door. "Wait here, and make yourself at home."

She nodded and he left, leaving her to look around in wonder. The bed still looked so squashy, and since her was gone... she grinned and half ran to it, sitting on it and flopping back. It felt even better than it looked and she giggled. Then she remembered her wet clothes and quickly got off, wiping at it with her sleeve. There were footsteps in the hall, so she quickly turned to the wall, pretending to be admiring a painting.

"That's one of my favorites as well," he said, looking up at it. "Starry Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh (a/n: something like that)."

"It's very pretty," she said. "I like paintings with darker colors, like blues and things." She turned to look at him and he handed her a pair of black sweat/pajama pants, and a black hooded sweatshirt.

"I figured you'd want them in your favorite color," he said, smiling. She smiled back and nodded.

"Thanks," she said.

"Meet me in the chocolate room when you're done. You do remember where it is, don't you?"

"Yeah," she said, thinking back and playing it out in her head. "Yeah, I remember."

"Alright then," he said, and left her alone to change. She was standing in front of the mirror as she dressed, and was a little surprised at what she saw. Her stomach, shoulders, arms, and part of her chest were covered in ugly red burning worms, and she hurried to get the sweatshirt on, for fear of him walking in and seeing it. She changed her pants faster, and took off her wet socks and shoes in an attempt to get her feet to warm up a bit.

When she was ready, she grabbed her sub and walked, barefooted, down the hall, finding her way to the chocolate room easily enough. But she didn't see Wonka anywhere. Shrugging she walked around, admiring the veiw and waiting till he decided to turn up. When she stopped again to admire the chocolate river something poked into her sides, a little bellow the ribs, and she jumped nearly a mile high because she was extremely ticklish. A pair of hands grabbed onto her shoulders before she could fall into the river, and a voice started laughing heartily.

"A little ticklish, are we my pet?" asked Willy Wonka as he looked at her from over her shoulder.

"A little," she said, catching her breath and laughing a little.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Although, with the river in front of you, that could've turned out worse. You would've gotten caught in the suction and taken to the fudge room with the boiling pot, yes. But even worse, the chocolate would've been contamintated." She snickered and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, thanks!" she said sarcastically. He beamed and they walked over to a patch of candy grass and sat down so she could eat her sub.

"So what are you doing over the weekend?" he asked her. She looked at her watch which showed the date on it.

"It's friday?" she cried. "Holy cow, it feels like a monday. Oh, I'm not really doing anything. I'm a lazy couch potato, especially in the winter. There's not much to do."

"Of course there is! Have a snowball fight, build a snowman, go sledding."

"It's too cold, my sister hates building snowmen, and we don't have a sled." He chuckled.

"I'm sure you don't," he laughed and she snickered. "That's the saddest excuse I've heard yet for avoiding going outside."

"I just don't like to. I like to admire the snow, draw pictures of it and stuff. It's fun."

"Ah, so you're an artist?"

"Stick figures are my specialty," she answered, smiling.

"That's more than I can do," he chuckled.

"But you're an artist in a different way," she said gesturing to the room around them. "All of this is creativity at work. You're an artist through candy."

"That is true. And most say I'm very good at it."

"Well you are. I mean, look at this place!" He sighed and looked down.

"But most people think of me, or in most cases tell it to my face, that I'm a mad man."

"But that shouldn't stop you from doing what you love," she said, thinking it was strange for him, of all people, to be saying that. "You shouldn't worry about what other people think of you." Then he looked at her, his mood and normal character returning.

"So then why do you?" he asked. She looked up, realizing she'd just fallen into a trap. He was so clever.

"I never said I did," she answered.

"Then are you willing to tell me what happened two days ago?"

"Not to be rude, sir," she said in a polite tone. "But that really isn't any of your business." He nodded in agreement.

"You're right, it isn't. I just wanted to make sure is was nothing too serious."

"It wasn't," she said shaking her head. "Just had a bad day. We all get them, right?"

"Indeed we do. It's, unfortunetly, unavoidable, like death and taxes."

"The two things we can count on in life," she laughed. He smiled and nodded. "You know what's strange?" she said after a minute. "We've hung out for almost a week, and we still don't know that much about each other. Other than the obvious I mean."

"What would you like to know?" he asked. She shrugged, realizing she had no questions as soon as he had asked her.

"I don't know," she laughed, and he chuckled. "Let's play 'I've Never'." He nodded.

"I've never been to a theatre," he started with. Her eyes widened.

"Never? Holy cow! Do you not watch movies at all?"

"Oh, I do watch them," he said shrugging. "When they're released on VHS or DVD that is. Easy way to avoid obsessive fans, my dear girl."

"Well, I've never... gone to a school dance."

"Me neither," he chuckled.

"You were homeschooled!" she laughed. "Of course you didn't."

"I've never been attacked by a vermicious knid. I came close a few times, but I never have."

"I've never heard of a vermicious knid." He laughed and she smiled.

"What are they teaching you in these schools?" he asked, looking at her.

"Crap," she answered. "A lot of stuff we're never going to use in the real world."

"That's not entirely true," he said, shaking his head. "Math, and reading skills are absolutely needed in absolutely everything. You simply cannot start a job and not know how to add, subtract, or any of those other things. And if you are illiterate, then what can you do at all?"

"Touché," she replied.

"Although, honestly, what sort of school does not teach children about vermicious knids? How do they expect them to avoid them?"

"Ignorance is bliss," she muttered.

"But it's very unwise," he answered. "My turn isn't it?"

"I think so... yeah." She took another bite out of her sub.

"I've never owned a pet."

"You haven't! How can you have not owned a pet?"

"My mother was allergic to dogs and cats, fish die too quickly, and you simply cannot have animals running about in the factory, other than the geese that lay the golden chocolate eggs. Just think of all the trouble it would cause? Who wants to find cat hair or dog drool in their candy bar?"

"Eeeewwww!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Aw man, that's gross."

"Precisely," he chuckled, amused at how red her face got when she laughed.

"Okay," she said, taking a second to catch her breath. "I've never gone for a day without chocolate." He looked intrigued.

"Really?"

"I'm a choclaholic," she said, smiling. "Especially on bad days. Wonka bars... they just seem to help, you know? It's just got a calming effect that sort of makes you forget about the bad stuff for a while." He smiled and nodded.

"That was the original intention, dear girl," he replied.

"You can call me Reya," she said, smiling. "It just gets sort of weird, being called 'dear girl', or 'young lady' all the time."

"I apologize then, dear- I mean, Reya." She snickered a little. "Is Reya short for something?" he asked.

"Rachel," she answered. "But a friend at school started calling me Reya, and I liked it so I kept it. What about you? Is Willy short for something?"

"William," he replied. "But who doesn't like a good nickname?"

"My point exactly." She thought for a moment as she took another bite from her sub. "Whose-" A piece of lettuce fell out of her mouth and she slapped her hand over her mouth, holding in laughter and turning a blinding shade of red. Willy laughed as she rocked back and forth, determined not to have the rest of the bite fly out of her mouth. He pretended to scoot a safe distance from her, and once she had swallowed, she looked at him, still laughing. "I'm sorry!" she laughed. "Oh goodness, that's embarrassing!"

"We all have our moments," he chuckled.

"You ran into a door yesterday, so we're even now."

"That we are," he admitted. Her cell phone started ringing, this time to the tune of Mission Impossible, and she jumped because it vibrated too.

"Sorry," she said. "It might be my mom."

"Not a problem," he said, and she wandered off a little ways, turning her back to him.

"Hello?... Hi, Mom. Yes I got your note, but guess what, Dad had to go back to work so he has the spare key... No, that back door was locked... Oh no, you don't have to come! I'm okay. I'm at a friend's house right now... Will's... You know will! We've been friends since kindergarten. He came to my birthday party a few times. He's the one who broke your China set... Yes, that Will... It's no problem. Six? Okay, mom. I'll try and be home by then... Oh you'll call? Okay, that works too then... Alrighty then... Love you too... Buh-bye." She hung up, and turned, but Willy was gone.

"Mr. Wonka?" she called, looking around. No answer. "Wonka?"

Something soft hit her in the back of the head, and she turned to see some sort of candy with powdered sugar fall on the ground. She gasped and felt the back of her hair, trying to dust it out. There was a small bit of laughter behind her and she looked up to see Willy Wonka, chuckling and wiping powdered sugar off his hands. "William Middlename Wonka!" she shouted, running after him. He ran, and for a minute he reminded her of an annoying little brother or sister. She was laughing though, knowing this man was a kid at heart, and chased after him. "Get back here!" she half laughed, half shouted.

"You'll have to catch me first!" he shouted back. She chased him, but had the disadvantage of being very out of shape. Eventually she stopped, trying to catch her breath. She looked up and saw she was standing under a tree with those powdered sugar candies growing off it, and she smiled, pulling three down. He turned when he noticed she wasn't chasing him anymore, and saw she was panting.

"Okay," she panted. "You win." He smiled, believing he had won and started to walk to her when she pulled the three candies out from behind her back.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouted, but she nailed him twice in the back, and missed the third time.

"Ha ha!" she declaired. "I shank you with my sharpened candy!" She was standing over him, and he grabbed her ankle, making her fall over. Then he grabbed the candy she had missed him with, and rubbed it on her face. He laughed and she forced her way up, rubbing powdered sugar off her face. "That wasn't fair!" she protested, laughing a little.

"Oh really?" he asked. His eyes strayed down to her hand and he suddenly looked at her in concern. "Oh, oh no, you're bleeding." She looked down and saw the small trickle of blood running down her hand. It was coming from her arm.

"Must've scratched it on something," she muttered.

"Come with me, we'll get that taken care of it right away. Oh dear! I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's really okay," she said with a smile. "Trust me, I've had worse injuries. Try falling out of a window sometime." He smiled a little and took her good hand, leading her away into his office.

Reya was becoming used to seeing strange things in the factory by now, but when she stepped into the office where everything was cut in half, she had to giggle a little. Was there no end to this man's weirdness? He walked over to his half desk and opened a drawer, fumbling around inside. "I always keep some nearby incase of paper cut. No sense in bleeding to death."

"From a paper cut?" she asked, making a face.

"It could happen," he said, genuinely serious about it, and soon pulled out a box of bandaids. "Here we are." He approached her and pointed to her arm. "Let's see how bad it is."

"Oh, uh..." she stuttered, trying to find a way to get out of this. "You know what, I can do it. It's no problem."

"Don't be silly, ma'am. It's my responsability. Let's see..." Before she could stop him he grabbed on to her wrist and gently pulled the sleeve up a few inches. "Oh my," he muttered. She didn't even need to look. He had seen it... them. The red worms that burned, the ugly lines she was covered in. He could see a portion of them right now. Any minute now he'd pull away from her, call her parents and have her committed! "What happened here?"

-

(A/N: Dun dun dun! It was going to happen sometime. RR!)


	5. Cutter

(A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long! February break came without warning, and I got back to school in time to find out the stupid filter had blocked off the site! Sheesh! So, there's a lot more than one update for this, and some other stories, just to warn ya. I had plenty of time to work. So, sorry if this is piling it on, but two weeks... that's a long time. So, I am still here, I'm just only able to update when I can get to the library which will be at least once or twice a week. Yeah, it sucks, but if I could control that stupid filterm I would. I'm already starting a movement in the school to get it back. Grrr...!)

Willy Wonka was staring at the small portion of her arm, looking extremely worried, concerned, but not alarmed. For a minute, she began to think that maybe he wouldn't call her parents. Not yet at least.  
"What in Heaven's name happened to you? Goodness gracious! There's so many"  
"Nothing!" she insisted, trying to pull away. His grip was too firm, but it didn't hurt. "Really, I can take care of it." He wasn't listening, and pulled the sleeve up a little higher, uncovering larger raw areas, some of them scabbed over, others not. It was patched where the skin have been scratched raw, and it looked horrible.  
"Why, they're infected!" he declared. "What happened to you"  
"Nothing happened," she said, her voice weakening and tears forming in her eyes. "Something had to have happened, dear girl, or else none of these would be here. Leaping lizards, that looks so painful! Oh dear! Oh dear"  
"Stop it!" she said in a weak tone, tears falling down her face. "Just stop." He did, but the look on his face told her he was ready to burst he was so startled. She was crying softly, and he reached over, handing her a tissue. "Please," she said after a minute. "Please, don't tell anyone." She wiped her eyes a little. "I'll tell you everything you want to know. Just please don't tell anyone!" He was wringing his hands nervously, and biting his lip.  
"Can we at least clean them before they get any worse?" he asked softly. She nodded and he grabbed her arm to lead her out. She flinched in pain, and he jumped, not realizing before that both arms were covered, and then placed his arm over her shoulders to lead her away. He took her into a large bathroom, and for a minute she had forgotten about what was going on, just by looking around. There was a large tub with massaging water jets, a sink in the shape of a giant lollipop with a candycane faucet, and a toilet with a cover on the lid with Wonka bar prints.  
He had her sit down on top of the toilet, and then went through the medicine cabinet, pulling out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a small jar of cotton balls, and a bigger box of bandaids. Once he had these things, he closed the cabinet and then turned to her, sitting on a stool that was under the sink. "This is going to sting," he said softly, his hand trembling. "But it will help. Roll up your sleeves now, if you will"  
She obeyed, and he took off his jacket and gloves, rolling up his sleeves so not to get any blood or puss on them. He wet the cotton ball with the rubbing alcohol, and started to gently wipe at one. It did sting. It stung like Hell, and she did her best not to flinch and startle him.  
"How did this happen, my d-... Reya?" She smirked a little and then answered.  
"Thumbtacks," she answered. He looked up.  
"Someone was scratching you with a thumbtack?" She couldn't believe he wasn't understanding this already! Or perhaps he was trying not to.  
"I did," she answered softly. His face went pale, and she felt a deep pang of guilt.  
"Just thumbtacks?" he asked after a minute. "No," she answered. "There were also razor blades, staples, even a nail once." He was shaking, but continued cleaning them.  
"And the larger ones"  
"Fingernails," she answered, tears falling down her face again. He look up at her and handed her another tissue from a box on the counter.  
"Why, Reya?" he asked. "I don't understand why you'd do this. Goodness gracious me, none of this makes any sense"  
"Well, how would you like it if your parents suddenly decided to move away from the state you grew up in since you were two?" she burst, tears falling at a rapid pace. "How would you like to go to a new school where everyday people gutted you! Practically tore you open to be exposed in front of people who were laughing? And have you ever lost a friend to suicide, and known you could've stopped them?" He looked at her, and she stopped, trying to calm herself down. "I was a teen too, Reya. I know exactly what you're talking about," he said gently. "Not completely," she answered, wiping tears away. "You were homeschooled"  
"And do you know why, dear girl? When I was a child, children thought I was too strange of a person to be near. When I got older they started rumors about me, terrible rumors that weren't even true, but people believed them. I went to school, Reya, up till seventh grade, and then my parents finally pulled me out and homeschooled me till I graduated. I know what it's like to be the kid who's always beat up on, who's always treated like garbage. I've been there, Reya. And I've been back"  
"Of course you have," she muttered, rolling her blood shot eyes. "You're the great Willy Wonka. You're perfect." He laughed and shook his head.  
"Dear girl, I am far from perfect. When I was your age I was a heroine addict!" Her eyes widened and she stared at him, not believing it.  
"What?" she whispered.  
"It's true, only few people know it." In the back of her mind, she thought about how it explained for a lot. He pointed to small scars on his arms from syringes. "I was a very out of control teen. But I pulled through, Reya. I pulled through and so can you." There was silence and then she gave a small, barely existant, smile.  
"That rhymed," she muttered. He lowered his head, snickering, knowing a little humor would be good to lighten the mood a bit.  
"That's beside the point, young lady"  
"I know," she muttered. "I get it." He gave her knee a soft squeeze, and continued cleaning the cuts on her arms.  
"Tell me about your friend," he said softly. "What happened?" Reya bit her lip and then spoke.  
"I've never told anyone about it, so you have to keep it a secret, alright?" He nodded. "Her name was Claire, and we were fourteen when it happened. We were like sisters. She was the only one I had in the school who gave a shniz about me. She was the only true friend I had there." She stopped for a minute and then spoke up again. "One day at school she wouldn't talk. She just stared blankly at people and just looked numb. It scared me. She went like this for almost a week until I finally got her outside of school to tell me. A senior, he's graduated now and I don't even know who it was, but he raped her. Claire was a girl who loved to party and he took advantage of her while she was on an acid trip. She told me she had woken up in an alley dumpster, bruised and bleeding." Tears were rolling down her face, and Willy placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly. "She refuse to tell anyone and made me swear that I wouldn't. She was my friend and I had to keep a promise. But the pain was too much for her and I could tell. I watched from the shadows as she got worse and worse and did nothing. I watched her go in a downward spiral, and I had the nerve to be shocked the day I came to school, got called into the principal's office and was told she had OD'd on Advil." She was sobbing now, it couldn't be helped. "I didn't do anything and now she's dead because of me! And there are kids at school who are constantly reminding me of it"  
He took a clean tissue and dried her eyes for her, and then took her face in his hands. "Don't you dare say that again, my dear girl. Don't think it again, ever ever again. You were fourteen, how were you to know that would happen"  
"I still should've told," she muttered. "Promise or no promise"  
"Yes," he agreed. "And not telling was your mistake, but what she did after that was beyond your control. Don't listen to those people at school, dear girl. They don't understand because it hasn't happened to them. You have every right to be upset, and don't be ashamed of it. You need to cry, Reya. Don't keep it inside"  
She didn't say anything, and he finished up, Reya deciding not to tell him the cuts were on her legs, back, chest, and stomach as well. It was bad enough that he knew about her arms. When he was done he gave her a big bear hug, but she didn't hug back, knowing she didn't deserve it. She was trash, and she knew it. Why did she throw all this stuff at him? He was better off not knowing her at all. He let go and pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in her hands. "I think you need it right now more than I do, I dare say." She looked down in her hands and forced a very small smile. It was a Wonka bar.  
-  
"I can't go home," Reya muttered as she and Wonka walked down the hall, her arms hugging herself tightly. "My parents will know I've been crying, they'll drive me mad, trying to find out what's wrong, and then when they give up my mom will cry, my dad will yell, and we all lived happily ever after"  
"You can stay here for the night," he said after a minute, surprising her. "But do not tell anyone! The media will find out and definitely say something riddiculous about your situation, I could go to jail for something I didn't do, and your parents will give you more grief then they would if you just went home. That simply wouldn't do at all, my dear- Reya! I'm terribly sorry, I keep forgetting. My memory has a tendancy to lack sometimes"  
"It's okay," she said softly. "And I won't tell anyone. Wasn't really planning to anyway. I can just see how that conversation would turn out"  
"I can imagine it wouldn't be pleasant." Reya snickered.  
"You haven't met my parents." She pulled out her cell phone and turned it on. "Speaking of which, I'd better call them and let them know I'm not coming home tonight"  
"Oh dear, hadn't thought of that. Will they mind"  
"No. I do it all the time at my friend, Mary's house." She dialed the number to her house and waited while the phone rang. "Mom? Hi, I thought you were going to call me when you got home?... Oh, I see... Well, I'm going to stay the night at Mary's house. That alright?... Alright... No, I'm set... Okay, see you tomorrow then... Okay... Bye." She hung up and rolled her eyes, giving an exasperated sigh. "Sorry, honey, I completely forgot to call you," she said in a high pitched whiny tone, immitating her mother. "She'll be sorry the day there's an emergancy, and she forgets to call"  
"I doubt it will happen," said Willy, shaking his head. "Again, you haven't met my parents." He smirked, and pulled out his pocket watch, flipping it open and checking the time.  
"Goodness, it's 6:30 already! And the oompa-loompa's are done for the day... are you hungry"  
YES! her stomach was screaming. "A little," she said politely. Her stomach growled in protest, and she snickered a little. "Well it definitely sounds like it," chuckled Willy. "Come with me to the dinner and we'll find some kitchen to eat." She looked at him and started laughing.  
"What?" she laughed. He closed his eyes and made a face.  
"Oh! Strike that! Reverse it. Alright then." She laughed and shook her head as they walked on.  
"You are one odd cookie," she muttered.  
-  
"I've never gone for a day without listening to Led Zeppelin," said Reya, crunching onto a Dorito. They had eaten and were now playing I've Never in the common room in front of a roaring fire. It was more of a common room/library for there were books everywhere. Reya's eyes had lightened when she spotted J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion, along with the series of Unfinished Tales. That had sparked immediate conversation on which was better, the books or the movies.  
"I haven't listened to Led Zeppelin since I was a teenager, I think so at least," said Willy, staring into the fire. "It was a long time ago. Perhaps more recent and I just can't recall it? I don't know"  
"What was your favorite song?" she asked, moving into a cross legged position. "I don't really remember that well... deary me... It was that song, the one every guitar player was trying to learn... Heaven? Something about Heaven"  
"Stairway to Heaven"  
"Yes! That's the one. I adored that song when I was younger. Mercy, I haven't listened to it in years"  
"I love that one, and the Immigrant Song"  
"So Led Zeppelin is still popular? I thought that'd be too long ago for your generation"  
"Are you kidding me?" she said, giggling. "The people with any taste in music know about Led Zeppeling, Jimmy Hendrix, The Beatles, Bob Marley, and a lot of those other good oldies"  
"I do enjoy the Beatles," he said, smiling. "I still listen to them at times when I'm working in the inventing room"  
"Don't think I've been in that room," she said, thinking it over.  
"That's because I haven't taken you in there. Goodness knows what you could learn and show other people. I'd be ruined!" She looked slightly offended.  
"I wouldn't do that! I may be very stupid, but I'm not that stupid"  
"Even so," he muttered. "Better safe than sorry." She nodded.  
"It's your turn," she muttered after a few minutes of silence.  
"I suppose it is. Let's see..." He thought for a minute. "I've never met a celebrity"  
"Really?" she asked. "I thought someone like you would be able to meet whoever you wanted"  
"I probably could, I suppose. But I probably won't. There's really none of them I'd especially like to meet. They're just normal people with high repute"  
"Hey, Johnny Depp is no regular Joe!" she protested. "He's drop dead gorgeous and a kickbutt actor." Willy shrugged.  
"I really don't find him that impressive in all honesty. I find him very cheesey at times"  
(A/N:) )  
"You take that back or I'll hurt you!" she laughed.  
"Violent," he laughed. "Your turn"  
"I've never... gone off a high dive before," she said. "They're so... high!" He laughed.  
"Somehow, I think that was the general idea, dear gir- Reya! Arg! I keep forgetting. Dear me"  
"You know what, don't sweat it," she laughed. "If it's going to drive you that crazy then don't worry. Your turn"  
"I've never dyed my hair"  
"My hair's been dyed blue ever since the ninth grade. I just liked the way it looked. And no one else in the school has blue hair"  
"You preffer to stand out"  
"At times," she answered. "I hate being pressed into the mold of what the media says is beauty"  
"I despise it too, dear girl..." He stopped to laugh, and she chuckled a little. "Who gives those people the right to say what's 'beautiful' and what isn't? The truth is, I have more respect for those who don't care about what's 'popular' and are themselves and aren't afraid of it. Those are praiseworthy people"  
"Like you?" she asked.  
"How often do you see someone dressed like this?" he asked, and she chuckled.  
"But didn't it bother you the day you met me and that one boy called you a pimp?" He snickered and shook his head.  
"I didn't let it bother me. And that boy was angry. He probably said a lot of things that day that he didn't mean. We all do it, don't we"  
"I can't picture you having a bad day." His smile faded.  
"I did today," he muttered, and looked at her. "When I found out a friend was hurting that badly." She felt a pang of guilt and knew the topic was going to come up again at some point or other that day.  
"I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down. "It wasn't fair, and you shouldn't have had to be dragged into it. It's my problem and I should've kept you out of it instead of piling it on you." He made a face and shook his head.  
"No," he said. "As hard as it may seem to deal with right now, I'm glad you told me. To be honest, I wouldn't have slept well at all tonight, I'd be so busy worrying about you"  
"No, you wouldn't have," she said softly, tears in her eyes. "No one ever does. They don't even care enough to notice something's wrong. I mean, I've dropped hints before, like I was hoping they'd notice, but they don't"  
"That's not true and you know it, Reya. Ah! As soon as you tell me not to worry about it, I get it right. But that's not what we're talking about." Her head was tilted slightly to the side and two tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Oh," he said softly, and slid off his seat and onto the floor, crawling next to her and putting and arm around her shoulders. "Please don't cry. I think you've done it quite enough for one day. There there." She sniffled and he gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.  
"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" she asked looking up at him. He sighed.  
"Well, I know I should. In fact it would be able to help you stop this if your parents knew..." He felt her tense up under his arm. "But perhaps I don't have to... yet. Let's make a deal, my pet. Everyday after school you come here to the factory- alone, mind you- and let me take care of your cuts before more get infected. If I start to see fewer, we'll continue until it stops and your secret's safe with me. But if not, I'll have to tell before something truly worse happens. Oh goodness, I hope it doesn't come to that"  
She nodded, and brushed away some tears.  
"Can you do that?" he asked. She nodded and forced a smile. "Atta girl," he said smiling. He yawned and pulled out his pocket watch. "Mercy me! How fun flies when your having time"  
"Strike it and reverse it there, man," she said softly, laughing a little.  
"Oh, yes," he muttered, realizing what he had said.  
"You call this fun?" she asked after a minute. "I'd like to see you try it sometime"  
"That's an offer I'm afraid I'll have to refuse," he said sadly. "And you're right, young lady, the last few hours haven't been much fun, have they"  
"But the candy war was pretty good," she pointed out and he nodded.  
"Indeed it was." He looked around and sighed again. "I'm afraid I have no spare bedroom for you to stay in. I never have guests stay the night"  
"Oh," she muttered.  
"The only place you can sleep is on the sofa, I guess," he said, worried that it wouldn't be alright with her. But Reya was in such an exhausted state of mind where he could of told her to sleep on the roof in her skivies and no blanket and she wouldn't have cared. Crying that much and having to confess so much had drained her emmotionally and mentally. All she wanted was to sleep through the rest of the night, and the next day, if only she didn't have schoo-  
Wait... She glanced at her watch with the date on it. It was a Friday! She could sleep in, granted he would allow it. She was lucky enough to be staying there at all. "That's alright," she said, grinning for real this time. "I do it all the time at home. My mom and dad's room is right down the hall from mine, and my dad snores a little too loudly. I usually end up on the downstairs couch"  
"As long as you're comfortable," he said, smiling in amusement. "And I've felt your pain. My father used to snore something terrible when I was young." She chuckled a little. "Would you like a pillow or blanket"  
"Blanket will work," she said, nodding. "I'll be right back then. And please don't wander off. People tend to get lost in here sometimes. Even me. I'll be back in a jiffy. Alright then." He stood up and walked off. When he was around the corner and out of earshot, she made a face and muttered, "Got lost in his own factory?" and shrugged. That sounded like something she'd pull.  
When Willy returned, Reya was sprawled out on the sofa, sound asleep. He smiled a little and walked up to her, carefully draping the warm blanket over her, and gave her one last look before leaving. As sigh escaped and he shook his head. "A pretty, intelligent, and creative girl should not have to feel the need to hurt herself," he muttered softly, careful not to wake her. "No one was meant to take on all the troubles of the world on their shoulders. If only she could understand that..." He shook his head, trusting that one day she would, and then strolled off to his own bed, turning off the lights behind him.  
-  
(A/N: Reya isn't meant to be a mary-sue, so if anyone says she is just because the comment Wonka made while she was asleep, grrr! I mean, haven't any of you been told that at least once by someone, even if it is exaggerated? Oh well. R&R! And please, check out the weekly funny on my profile and tell me what you think!)


	6. The Window

When Reya woke up, she didn't know where she was for about five terrifying seconds. Then she suddenly remembered the night before, and a wave of depression hit as she remembered what Willy Wonka had seen, and what she had told him. She groaned and shook her head. Her and her big mouth!  
"Ah! And she lives!" said a voice. She looked up and saw Willy was walking into the room, swinging his cane with him.  
"What time is it?" she asked.  
"Precisely sevent fourty-five. I am a bit of an early bird though, so I'm not used to having someone who sleeps in so late"  
"You call this sleeping in?" she asked, sitting up and stretching. "I usually wake up around nine thirty on a weekend"  
"I could never sleep that long," he said, shaking his head. "Well now, would you like to have breakfast, or shower first"  
"It's too early to eat, man," she chuckled. "I'll take the shower." He smiled and signalled her to follow him. He took her into the same bathroom he had cleaned her cuts in, and gestured to the shower, a large one at that. She watched as he pulled out a white fluffy towel from the cupboard beneath the sink.  
"I'm pretty sure you know how to work a shower," he said, smiling.  
"I think so," she muttered, smirking. She pulled the curtain back and her eyes widened. Instead of a wall, it was a giant window! "Oh no," she muttered. "There's no way I'm showering here for the world to see," she said, half laughing. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. It's merely a trick window. You can see everything out there, but to anyone passing by outside, it simply looks like part of the wall"  
"So I can see them, but they can't see me?" she asked, glancing at it unsure.  
"No one is out there anyway," he said, shaking his head. "But if there was, they can't see you. One of my more brilliant ideas. There's nothing like waking up to see the sunrise. Of course, for those who sleep in too late, you miss it. But it's still a lovely veiw"  
"Wow," she said, looking out the window. She could see the trees surrounding the property, a few birds flying by, and the sun shining off the snow on the ground. Normally, she didn't care to look at the sunny, but it was beautiful, and she couldn't help it.  
"I'll leave you to it then," he said softly, and left her alone. She locked the door behind him, and then stripped down and climbed into the shower, her cuts not hurting under the spray of water for once. She enjoyed the veiw, and adjusted to the strange feeling quickly, reminding herself that no one could see her.  
Through the wall, she heard the distinct sound of music, and when she listened closely, she laughed, realizing it was the Beatles. Not only that, but Willy was singing along with them, slightly off key, but not unbareable. She chuckled and shrugged, knowing he was the type to sing along.  
"Love, Love me do," she sang along with the music. "You know I love you/ I'll always be true/ So pleeeaaase/ love me do/ oooh love me do." She washed her hair with shampoo that smelled like chocolate, much to her amusement, and peppermint conditioner. Only Wonka, she thought to herself. "Someone to hold/ Somebody new/ Someone to love/ Someone like you..." She smiled, knowing this was the one place where she could sing in the shower and not have to worry about being made fun of. She liked it. "Love, Love me do/ You know I love you/ I'll always be true/ Just pleeeeeaaase/ Love me do/ Oooh, love me do"  
The water in the shower felt like a back massage, and she began to wonder how she was going to muster the strength to leave it. Beatles music was playing, the shampoo and conditioner smelled like candy, and there was an awesome veiw. It was not going to be easy to leave. Willy Wonka definitely had a very creative mind, and she knew no one, not even himself as he once said, would be able to understand it.  
When she stepped out, three Beatles songs later, she dried off and looked on the counter to see her clothes were neatly folded on top, dried and everything. Her blood froze, and she wondered if he had been in there while she was showering. That was soon answered when she noticed a little door in the wall, about 5' x 6'. She pulled it open and saw it opened to the other room, which looked like a laundry room. "Ah," she muttered, and closed it before someone saw her. -  
"I wish I was an only child most of the time," she said as she took a mouthful of French toast. "My little sister, Alice, is so annoying and is always trying to get me into trouble"  
"By telling your parents what you're doing behind their backs by any chance?" he asked, making her grin.  
"Sometimes," she admitted. "That's why I don't tell her anything now-a-days." He smiled and sat back in his chair.  
"I was an only child," he said softly. "It was terribly lonely, of course, but I got used to it. Otherwise I wouldn't stay so isolated in here wouldn't I"  
"No," she muttered. "But if you still want a sibling"  
"Why would I ever steal that blessing away from you? You may not realize it yet, but your sister means more to you than you know"  
"Heard this lecture before," she muttered, taking another bite. "And following this one is usually the 'You-have-to-set-an-example' lecture." She snickered and shook her head. "My parents have got to realize someday that I am not a good influence. I'm a trouble maker, and Heaven forbid, I'm proud of it." He shook his head.  
"That's not entirely something to be proud of, young lady. You have so much potential. You write, you draw, and I heard you earlier, singing to the Beatles. You could be a music artist"  
"Oh yeah," she said making a face. "That's definitely what I want. Next tone deaf sad person since William Hung (not trying to diss him)." She suddenly jumped, nearly knocking her plate over and looked down at her cell phone, which was vibrating wildly. "Sorry," she laughed. "I have it set on vibrate. It's probably Mom." She flipped open her phone, and then stepped out of the room, and leaned against the wall, beside the doorway.  
"Hey-lo," she said.  
"Reya, where are you?" asked a familiar nagging voice.  
"I'm at Mary's, Mom. Why?" There was the sound of sobbing and she groaned, knowing her mother was probably about to launch into a speech on how she, Reya, had been too dark and gloomy and she needed to come strait home. "Mom!" she repeated. The sobbing softened a little, and Reya began to wonder if something truly was wrong. "Mom, what is it"  
"It's your father," she said softly. Reya felt her stomach drop.  
"Dad? What about him?" There was a delay. "Mom"  
"There's been an accident..." her mother's voice either drifted off, or Reya was unable to hear her beyond those words. She felt sick, like she was going to vomit right there. Her mother was still talking, but she couldn't hear her. An accident? What sort of accident? It was bad, she could tell through her mother's sobbing. Was he alive? Was he dead? Was he suffering? An image of her dad laying on the ground, bleeding and gasping in pain came to her mind, and she sank down to the floor, hand pressed on her forehead.  
She realized her mother was still talking and shook herself out of thought. "Stop!" she said, a little too loudly. She was shaking, vomit was threatening to shoot out, and she was in too much shock for tears to form. "Tell me that again. There was an accident"  
"He's in the intensive care right now"  
"WHAT HAPPENED!" she shouted, shaking profusely.  
"He was hit by a drunk driver while he was crossing the street to go Mary's house and get you"  
Reya's eyes widened, and her world came crashing down. This was her fault. If she hadn't lied... He would be sitting at home reading the paper, or watching the news, or talking to her... Not in a filthy, wretched hospital.  
"Which hospital, Mom"  
"Honey, it's best if you just stay where you are"  
"WHICH GODDAMN HOSPITAL, MOM!" she half screamed.  
"St. Joshua"  
"I'm on my way," she said, standing up.  
"Honey"  
"HE'S MY DAD! I HAVE TO SEE HIM! AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP ME!" She pressed the off button and threw her cell phone down the hall, giving out a shout of anger and pain.  
"What's happened?" asked Willy from behind. He had moved to the doorway when he first heard her yell. She stood up, clearly flustered and looking ready to go into hysterics.  
"It's all my fault..." she muttered, shaking and hugging herself. She tried standing still, but found herself pacing around wildly, trying to calm down. "Oh, God! It's all my fault"  
"What is?" he asked. "What happened"  
"My dad just got rushed into intensive care!" she spat angrily. "He got hit by a drunk driver, trying to bring me home from Mary's house." Wonka placed a hand over his mouth in shock, and she felt herself gagging. "I'm gonna puke!" she cried, and ran to the bathroom as fast as she could, losing her breakfast twice in the toilet.

(A/N: R&R)


	7. This Can't Be Happening

Reya had her hands folded and tucked under her chin as she rocked back and forth wildly, shaking and holding back sobs. She had not cried once since she found out, and knew she couldn't let herself start now. She had to be strong. She had to accept it. It was, after all, her fault. If she hadn't lied... if she had just gone home the day before, she wouldn't be here, sitting in this seat, thinking these thoughts.  
Willy Wonka had paid for a cab to take her to the hospital, and she had requested to be alone. She didn't want to talk to him. If she saw one smile, heard one word of comfort, or felt a soothing hand on her shoulder she'd burst and attack him. It was too much for her to handle, and she wondered why her mother wasn't there yet. A nurse walked by, and she jumped up from her seat and hurried up to her.  
"Excuse me," she said, shaking. Her face was so pale and sweaty that one might think she had the flu. "I'm looking for my father, Richard Carmen"  
"I'm afraid you can't see him for another five minutes," said the nurse.  
"Can you at least tell me what's going on?" she asked, tears threatening to fall now. "Is he okay? What's the damage"  
"I'm sorry, are you related to him?" asked the nurse.  
"I'm his daughter!" she brust, and started crying. "I have to know what's going on"  
"Alright," said the nurse, trying to calm her. "Alright, sit down." They sat down, and Reya fidgeted nervously. "Calm down, calm down. Deep breath. In..." Reya sucked in the air, and breathed out when the nurse told her to. "Now, it's not for sure how bad the damage is"  
"Oh God," she muttered, shaking and starting to cry.  
"Now, now," cooed the nurse. "Easy, easy. It may not be that bad"  
"Just tell me the truth, I'm not a child," wept Reya. "Is he going to survive?" The nurse sighed and shook her head.  
"We're certain he'll make it through the night, but we don't know about how long he'll hold out in the morning"  
"Why"  
"So many of his internal organs are damaged. Our guess is that he'll be on life support by midnight or possibly later"  
"Oh man," she muttered, shaking even worse. "I'm going to lose my dad? He can't die. Not yet! I haven't moved out yet, he's still gotta walk me down the isle, be there for my first true love... oh man!" She started sobbing, and it wasn't till she practically screamed at the nurse, that she left her alone. A few minutes later she saw her mother walk in.  
"Oh, honey!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.  
"Don't!" screamed Reya, jumping up. "Don't touch me! Don't talk to me! Leave me alone! Just, everyone, leave me the Hell alone!" She ran off to the bathroom to cry it out. She wasn't angry at her mother. All this at once was too much, and having her greiving mother thrown on top was too much. She needed to be alone to deal with herself. She needed to think things through and get emmotionally ready by herself before she'd be allowed to see him.  
After five minutes, she came back, still sobbing, and came into her mother's arms, sobbing with her, and trying to get ready to go into this with her.  
-  
After what seemed like years, Reya and her mother were finally able to visit her father, who was concious, but barely able to speak. Reya didn't talk to him while her mother was in the room. This was too personal, even if she was her mother. She needed to talk to him alone... for the last time.  
Her mother was trying too hard not to cry, and looked worse than Reya, who was sitting in a chair in the corner, watching them. "Where's Alice?" asked Reya after a minute.  
"She's at Gramma's," said her mother. "You can talk to him, Rey," she said softly. Reya shook her head. "She probably wants to talk to you alone," said her mother, to her father, as if he didn't notice. She stood up, gave his hand a soft squeeze, and left. Reya watched as she left, and suddenly felt sick again. How was she going to tell him she had lied? That this was all her fault? Her father signalled her to come closer, so she did, pulling up a chair by the bedside.  
"Hi, Dad," she said softly, shaking worse than ever. He pointed to the night stand next to the bed, and she looked to see a small white board and black dry- erase marker. "You want that?" she asked, pointing to it. He nodded and signalled her to give it to him. She obeyed, uncapping the marker for him and watched as he wrote something out.

What's black and white and red all over?

Reya made a face, clearly not expecting this. "A newspaperm right?" she asked. He shook his head, erased the board with his wrist and wrote out the answer. "A penguin with a sunburn?" she asked, reading it out loud. "That's kind of dumb," she said, unable to stop the small giggle. He gave a weak grin and began to write something else.

Just wanted to see you smile again.

Tears rolled down her face, and she brushed them away, trying not to sob. He reached up and gently ruffled her hair.

I know about the cutting.

Her eyes widened and she sat back, turning pale. "...How...?" she stuttered.

I saw the blood stains on your bedsheets lastnight.

"Oh man," she muttered. "Dad, I'm so sorry..." He held up a hand, wrote on the board and held it up.

Don't be. If I'd paid more attention to you I would have noticed.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "It's not your fault," she said softly. "It's all mine. Mom doesn't know, does she?"

No. I'm leaving it to you to tell her. Promise me you will.

Reya brushed away tears and nodded reluctantly. "I promise," she whispered.

Whenever you feel alone or unwanted, know that I'll always be watching over you, no matter what. You're my baby and I'm your number one fan. I'll always be there.

This was too much, and she laid her head down on the bed mattress, sobbing, and he placed his hand on her back, slowly rubbing it. She reached over and grabbed his other hand and closed her eyes, trying to picture herself anywhere but here. "I love you, Dad," she said softly, and that was the last thing she was able to say.  
-  
Reya had managed to fall asleep in the hospital room, and woke up when she heard the sounds of nurses rushing in, and the loud beeping of the heart monitor as it grew faster and faster. A hand grabbed her shoulder and practically pulled her off the seat and onto her feet.  
"Sorry, ma'am, but you need to leave," said the nurse, none too gently.  
"What's happening?" asked Reya, becoming nervous. The nurse was pulling her through the doorway, and she was fighting back. "What's happening?" she shouted, but she was pulled out of the room, and the door was shut in front of her, locking her out. Her mother grabbed her from behind, and pulled her away from the window as the shutter was drawn. "Mom, what's going on?" she cried.  
"They're putting him on life support," she said, shaking. "They don't know how long they'll be able to keep him alive"  
"Oh no!" she cried. "No! He can't do this to me! He can't leave"  
"Reya"  
"No!" she screamed, and ran off, down the hall, out of the room, and down the fire escape stairs. It was snowing outside, and she ran, feeling the icy chill that made her insides contract, and her body feel an unbearable sharp pain. She kept on running, running away from the hospital, running away from the truth... running away from him.  
(A/N: If you haven't noticed already, I have this whole story written already b/c I've definitely had a lot of down time,obviously. The school filter still has the site blocked off so I can only update on saturdays and sometimes on tuesdays. I really hate this! So, R&R. Oh! BIG NEWS! Have any of you heard of the author Terry Trueman? He's coming to my school, and he wants to read some of my stuff! This is so cool! I'll probably suck, but still... WOW!)


	8. Let it Be

(A/N: PHEW! I was afraid I'd get angry reveiwers b/c of the jump I made with letting a heroine addiction be in Wonka's past. Glad it worked out. Oh, I talked with Terry Trueman (who is a 'he', for whoever was wondering) and let him read 'Demon of the Well', which is on this site. He loved it! He said I had a gift and that I was the first student to talk to him that day and tell him that I was going to be a writter, that there was no other option for me. He thought that was cool. He's a very funny, awesome guy. It was so cool to be critiqued by a professional. Oh, on with the story!)

She hadn't gotten far when she collided into someone, nearly sending them both to the ground. But the person caught her before she could fall, and once she was up, she fought to tear loose from the grip that had her. "Let me go!" she shouted.  
"Easy! Easy!" shouted the voice over cars and a screeching ambulence. "Reya, calm down!" She knew that voice. Somewhere in the darkness she knew that voice, and she looked up to meet with a familiar face. "Reya!" he called, and she stopped fighting.  
"Wonka," she panted. "He's going to die! They've got him on life support and it's only a matter of time before that bitch tells them to unplug it!" She was going into hysterics, and he placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.  
"Calm down," he said softly. "And do watch your language, it's very unattractive to have a sick mouth"  
"He's going to die!" she half screamed. Wonka grabbed her by the arm and took her into a coffee house before she could catch a chilliwomper. When they were inside, he got her to sit down and helped her take deep breaths. "Now," he said, once she had calmed down. "Tell me what happened. Slowly though, or I won't be able to understand you"  
"They put him on life support a few minutes ago," she said, shaking and rocking back and forth. "And they said they don't know how long they can keep him alive." She started sobbing and he put his arms around her, hugging her tightly.  
"Oh dear," he said softly. "Too much pain at too young an age. Mercy me, this isn't right"  
"What am I going to do?" she wept. "When I get back they'll have already pulled the plug. He'll be gone. I don't want to see him dead"  
"But you cannot stay here either, dear girl. Your mother's probably scared half to death for you. And she'll need you now more than ever"  
"You think I don't know that?" she cried, looking up at him. "I'm second oldest. They'll all be looking up to me to fill in Dad's spot! I can't do that! They think I'm all together, but I'm not. I'm crumbling apart! I can't take all this on at once"  
"Losing someone close to you like that is harder than anything you'll ever face," he said softly. "You'll feel like you're bleeding to death on the inside, and that there's nothing but darkness around you. Like you were just walking down the tunnel of life, and someone dropped a thick brick wall in front of you that you had to chip away with your fingernails. But it's all pain, it's a wound too deep to fully heal. But most of it will over time. And you won't have to face the pain alone. You've got friends to help pull you through." She reached over to the napkin despencer and pulled two out, drying her eyes with them and wiping her runny nose. "Now," said Willy, placing a hand on her leg and squeezing softly. "Would you rather go back to the hospital alone? Or would you preffer it if I came with you"  
"I can't go alone," she said, shuddering. "It's too cold out there"  
"Yes," he said, pulling out another napkin and drying her eyes. "It's very cold"  
-  
Reya said nothing as they walked down the sidewalk, his arm around her, comforting her. She felt numb now, partial from the winter weather, and partially from the pain which had dulled down a bit.  
When they got to the hospital he went with her into the waiting room and sat down with her, waiting. Her mother was there, almost as if she had known she'd come back. She sat down on Reya's other side.  
"What's happened?" asked Reya, looking at her mother.  
"They're about to pull the plug," said her mother softly. She looked at the funny man sitting next to Reya.  
"William Wonka," he said, reaching over and shaking hands with her. "Pleasure to meet you, madam"  
"He's a friend, Mom," said Reya, looking at her mother.  
"Wonka?" asked her mother. "As in the Wonka"  
"None other," he answered. The beeping on the heart monitor could be heard as it went faster and faster, and Reya gripped bother her mother's hand, and Wonka's, rocking back and forth, trembling and tears falling down her face. She gripped them tightly and listened as the beeping went faster and faster until it was just one long beep. Her head dropped, tears fell rapidly from her face, and she felt her mother's arm go over her shoulders as she started to pray.  
"Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight"  
Reya didn't listen. She was too angry to even want to pray to God, if there was a God. How could he allow this to happen if he really cared? In the wink of an eye her father had been taken away from her. He was gone, and not coming back. He hadn't gone to the store, or gone to work. He'd just gone.  
"...Amen"  
Reya looked up to see the nurse coming, and watched as her mother walked off with the nurse to talk. "I didn't know your family was religious," said Willy.  
"We're Christians," she said, shaking her head. "I'm the only one who's going to Hell. Everyone else, just watch, will be hurting for about a month at the most, and then I'll be the only who's still having a hard time dealing with it, as usual." She had been wringing her hands and scraping her fingernails over the top of her hands, causing blood to flow. He notice, and took hold of both her hands and held them tight.  
"It's going to be alright, Reya," he said softly. Reya was unable to cry. She had no more tears left, and she was beyond drained. The day before had been nothing compared to this. Willy stroked her cheek with a gloved hand, his thumb brushing away her last tear. "When I find myself in times of trouble," he sang softly, catching her by surprise. "Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be." He put an arm around her, and rested his chin on her head. "And in my hour of darkness, She is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be." Reya closed her eyes and listened. "Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Oh, Let it be. Simple words of wisdom, Let it be. And though there may be clouded people living in a world of greed, There will be an answer, Let it be. And though it may be cloudy, There is still a chance that they will see, There will be an answer, Let it be. Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Oh, Let it be. There will be an answer, Let it be"  
She fell asleep after a minute, her head resting on his shoulder, and he waited for the mother to come back. When she did come, she sat down next to Reya and stroked her arm gently. "She's been so tired lately," she said softly. "Poor thing. She doesn't know we know, but her best friend committed suicide, I don't remember when exactly it was. Throwing this on will be the last thing she needs"  
"How are you holding up, Mrs. Carmen?" he asked, looking at her in concern.  
"Not too well," she answered, shaking her head, tears staining her eyes. "But I have to be strong for my babies. If I can't be there for them then who will"  
"Don't you worry about any of the hospital bills," he said softly. "I'm going to pay them for you"  
"Oh, you don't have to"  
"Nonesense, my dear woman. I have seen how expensive a good funeral is. You'll need to be more concerned with that than hospital bills. I have more than enough money to take care of it." She sighed and nodded.  
"You're far too kind," she said, smiling. Wonka smiled, and left quietly, managing not to wake Reya when he repositioned her.  
-  
(A/N: I had a hard time making this chapter work, but still tell me what you think. Just be gentle!)


	9. The Funeral

Reya watched the funeral with dry eyes. She didn't cry, she couldn't cry. There had been too much of it the last three days since the hospital. She hadn't seen Willy Wonka at all during that time, and hadn't even tried to comfort herself with even a bite of a Wonka bar. It was her fault her father was in that casket, and she had no right to desire comfort or hurt about it. She had made the bed, and now she had to lay in it and pay for what she had done. Her body was covered in cuts, fingernail scratching, and now burns. But it was not enough anymore. The pain was not enough, and she knew she needed to feel more. She had to suffer for what she had done. It was all her fault.  
Her mother still did not know about the cutting, and she kept it that way, feeling she had to suffer through it alone. She hated herself so much, and she had been thinking about suicide a lot more lately. No one could know about it. She had to keep it secret if she had any hope of making it through this.  
When the place was almost completely cleared out, almost two hours after the funeral, she stood alone by the grave and watched as they lowered the casket down. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's all my fault. It was supposed to be me in there, not you"  
"You don't mean that," said a voice. She turned and looked at Willy Wonka darkly. She had known he was standing there. She had seen his reflection on the polished wood. "Dear, dear, Reya, when was the last time you slept?" he asked in concern.  
"Stay away from me!" she spat, stepping back. "And stop pretending that I'm a victim like my mom. I killed him! I lied and because of it he died! How can you still act like it's all going to be alright"  
"Reya, I"  
"No! I don't want to hear it! I don't want you to tell me about how everything happens for a reason, and that it'll all work out, even though I can't see it now. I told you before that I hate lies! I hate them!" He stayed calm, and watched as she ranted on, almost as if he understood. "I want you to go away! Go away and never come back. Don't come near me again, don't talk to me again! Just disappear back into your factory like you had before!" She finished and stared at him, shaking, her hand in fists, and tears forming around her eyes. He didn't yell, he didn't get angry. He simply nodded, sadly.  
"If that's what you really want," he said softly.  
"Yes"  
"Then, young lady, I promise not to bother you again." He turned and started to leave, but then stopped, and glanced over his shoulder. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." He left her standing there, and after the heat had passed and she was thinking clearly again, she ran her hand up her forehead, and got her finger tangled in her hair.  
"What have I done?" she whispered.  
-  
Reya lived in her room after that day. She left the door locked most of the time, and spent the days sleeping mostly, or scribbling meaningless things in her notebooks. Sentences with no ending or words that made no sense. Nothing made sense to her now. The lights were always off in her room, and the shades where always pulled down to keep it somewhat dark. There was a blanket draped over her mirror so she wouldn't have to look at herself, and her favorite clothes were sweatpants and sweatshirts. One of them was a University of Pheonix, that had belonged to her dad, and she wore it the most often.  
The inside of the sweatshirt was bloodstained from cuts and burns, and her mother still didn't know about it. She had also taken to pulling out her hair, strand by strand, so her hair was very messy and torn. Her mother had to have noticed that at least. Her sister was handling it a lot better than she was. She had already started going back to school, and her mother had started going back to work. Reya was going back to school the next day, and was afraid. She didn't want to face any of the mean people at school, and definitely none of the teachers, who were more than likely going to offer words of comfort on her first day back.  
She was laying, curled up on her bed, shivering because the heat was not turned on. Sleep was creeping over her again, and clutched in her hand was a Wonka wrapper. It was from the last bar he had given her before she had told him to get away from her. She still regretted saying it, but it was too late to go back now. By now he probably hated her and didn't want her to come back as a burden. He was better off without handling her problems.  
When she fell asleep, there were no dreams. Just the real pain from the self injury that carried on into her dreams.  
-  
She had survived school, much to her surprise. The teacher had tried to comfort her, and she put on her mask, pretending to be greatful of it, neglecting to mention whose fault it was that her father was gone. She knew her mother wasn't home yet, so she went to the candy store for the first time in almost a month. She needed a Wonka bar so much now. The store manager didn't seem afraid of her this time, and she walked up to the counter.  
"I'll take a Wonka bar please," she said softly. "The regular kind"  
"Are you sure you don't want to try his new one?" asked the manager in his usually cheery tone. "The Wonka Healer Bar, specifically made for those bad days." She shrugged.  
"Okay, whatever." She paid for it and sat down on one of the stools, tearing into it and taking a bite.  
"I don't mean to pry," said the clerk after a minute. "But aren't you the daughter of that poor fellow who died in that hit an run almost three weeks ago?" She nodded.  
"Yes," she answered. The clerk shook his head and gave her a look of pity.  
"That was a very unfortunate event. I can't tell you how sorry I am for you and your family"  
"Why?" she asked. "It's not like it was your fault," she added darkly. She took another bite of the bar, and suddenly felt a little happier, surprising her. "What's in this?" she asked.  
"If I knew that, I'd make my own, sell them and become a millionaire," he said in a tone that let her know she had asked a stupid question. "You simply cannot ask why a miracle happens. You just accept it like everything else in life"  
"I'd hardly call a bar of chocolate a miracle," she said softly, smiling a little.  
"But miracles don't have to be big, young lady. They come in all forms. Willy Wonka seems to know how to make them just right. Some people turn to chocolate for comfort, so he gave it a boost for those who need the extra help, especially in situations like your own." She finished the bar, and felt as though half of the weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Here," said the clerk. "Have another, and this one's on me. My way of offering condolence to you and your family." Reya forced a smile as she took the bar.  
"Thanks," she said softly, and left. She stepped out onto the sidewalk and started to unwrap the bar when someone brushed past her, muttering a quick, "'scuse me," as he went by,and just walked on as if he'd barely noticed her. She looked up and tears came to her eyes. It was Wonka.  
"I'm sorry," she mouthed out, but couldn't find the strength to say it out loud.  
-  
Reya stood in the doorway to the kitchen, trembling, and sweating. She had made a promise and had to keep it. Why did it have to be so hard? She wanted to be able to talk to Wonka again, but didn't want to have this ugly load to throw on him. Her mother was sitting at the table, reading, not even aware that she was there, and Reya played out what she was going to say in her mind.  
After five minutes of fidgeting and debating, she stepped into the kitchen and pulled up a chair, bringing herself to face her mom.  
"Mom," she said softly. Her mother looked up from her book and looked at her, giving her a soft smile. Reya took in a deep breath, knowing she had to get it over with, and said slowly, "There's something I need to talk to you about"


	10. This is THE end!

The stars were out, and she was thankful that she was alive to see them, for the first time in a very long time. It had been two weeks since she had told her mother the truth, and was taken into the hospital for observation and treatment. At long last, she had finally been diagnosed with depression, and was finally getting the medication she needed to feel better. She was still upset at times, over her father, and often cried over it, but after counseling, and speaking up for the first time, she had learned not to blame herself anymore. That it wasn't her fault and that she needed to forgive herself.  
She still faced pain, but was able to handle it like a normal person would, instead of being dragged down by it. Even though the medication's full effect wasn't supposed to show until eight weeks, she was improving gradually, and was able to handle the loss of her dad, and help her mother support the family. There was only one last thing she had to do, and she was staring at it.  
It was almost nine at night, and she was standing in the park near her house, staring at the barely illuminated silhouette of Willy Wonka. He was wearing his funnly top hat, and was leaning on his cane, admiring the stars. She had seen him through her window as he had walked by, and stepped up a little closer, so she was standing behind him, but about two yards away.  
"I'm getting help," she said softly. There was a pause, but she knew he had heard her. "I finally told my mom and I'm seeing a counselor." He didn't turn and look at her, nor did he answer. He just stood there. "I haven't cut in almost a week," she said softly, in a sad tone, knowing he didn't care. "I'm trying to get better." He still didn't answer, and she looked down, glad that he had at least heard her. That's all she had come here for. "Alright then," she said softly. "Bye." She turned to leave, but felt a hand grab her by the arm and stop her. She stood still, and watched as he stepped in front of her. How had he gotten there so fast? "I'm so sorry," she said softly, a tear falling down her face. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and told you to go"  
She was cut off, because he had leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. Not in a romantic way, but more as a friend, forgiving a friend. The kiss was quick and he looked at her, placing two curled fingers under her chin and tilting her head upwards so she was looking at him.  
"I'm proud of you, Reya," he said softly. "Don't ever think otherwise." She started crying and he gave her a warm bear hug, smiling inwardly, and she managed to laugh a little.  
"Thanks," she said softly. He stepped back and tipped his hat to her.  
"Hope to see you soon, my fair lady," he said, giving her a quirky grin, and then strolled off, swinging his cane in front of him.  
-  
(4 months later...)

Reya felt a rush of stage fright, and she wasn't even on stage yet. She was waiting behind the curtain, fidgeting and unable to stand in place. Behind her, a hand clapped down on her shoulder, and her drama coach gaver her a smile. "You ready?" she asked. Reya nodded, a little too fast. "You'll be fine," she said softly. They were silent, and Reya saw the lights dim. "That's your cue! Go on! Good luck!" Reya forced a smile and stepped onto the stage, getting into her position, and watched as the lights went up.  
The play went on, and she did what she was supposed to, trying to stay in character and not panic. The play was 'Oliver!' and she was Nancy, the girlfriend of the nasty character, Bill Sykes. When her lines came, she forgot about the people watching her, and played her character, yelling when she needed to, pretending to cry when she had to, and trying not to go over dramatic. She forgot her lines twice, but there was always someone nearby to whisper the first two words or so.  
She wasn't truly nervous until her solo came up. Everyone else had cleared off the stage, and she sat alone, at a table in the fake bar, and listened as the music started, waiting for her cue. When it came, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and began.  
"As long as 'e needs me, Oh yes, 'e does need me, In spite of what you see, 'e always will need me..." Once she had gotten that first part out, the rest came easy, and there was applause when she was done. She didn't have time to see who was in the audience, but knew her mother and sister were watching, and somewhere out there, somewhere, Willy Wonka was too.  
When the play was finally over, and they all bowed, there was loud applause, cheering, and smiles on everyone's faces. Reya went backstage with a smile, and was greeted with a surprise birthday cake in the choir room that someone had bought for her during intermission. She got to cut and serve it, and laughed, talked, and had a great time with the rest of the drama club. After a while, she headed into the parking lot with the group to go to Denny's which was the tradition. After opening night they would all go to Denny's to celebrate. Reya was walked with three girls, talking with them, and stopped after a minute, catching a glimpse of someone standing by one of the light poles.  
"Can you wait a few minutes for me? I have to go talk to someone real quick." They nodded and walked off, and she ran up to Willy, giving him a hug. He picked her up and spun her around.  
"You were magnificent!" he exclaimed, laughing. She laughed as he set her down. "I knew you'd do well"  
"Thanks," she said, laughing. "I was wondering where you were"  
"Oh!" he said, reaching into his pocket. "Before I forget, Happy Birthday!" He pulled out a box, wrapped in a purple shiny wrapping paper, and she tore it open eagerly, and opened the box. Inside was a gold necklace with the two theatre masks hanging from it. She smiled and held it up.  
"Wow," she gasped. "It's so pretty"  
"Here, allow me," he said softly, and she handed him the necklace, and turned, pulling her hair out of the way so he could clip it on her. She turned again with a smile.  
"Thanks a lot," she said, giving him a hug. "We're all going to Denny's to celebrate opening night. Wanna come"  
"I'd love to, my dear, but unfortunetly I have so much time and so little to do! Wait! Strike that. Reverse it. There"  
"Oh," she said softly, a little disappointed. "Sorry to hear that. I'll see you some other time then"  
"I can almost guarantee it," he said smiling.  
"Great. Well, I gotta go too, so see ya then"  
"Farewell," he said softly, and she waved over her shoulder, and running over to her friends. Willy Wonka smiled in the dim light and nodded to himself. Sometimes what glitters is gold. He tipped his hat and walked off, down the sidewalk and into the night.

Come to me now/ And lay your hands over me/ Even if it's a lie/ Say it will be alright/ And I shall believe./ Broken in two/ And I know you're onto me/ That I only come home/ When I'm so all alone/ And I shall believe/ That not everything is gonna be the way/ you think it ought to be/ Seems like everytime I try to get it right/ It all comes down on me/ Please say honestly/ You won't give up on me/ and I shall believe.  
-"I Shall Believe," Sheryl Crow -  
(A/N: There is a sequel in progress to this, but for now, this is the END! This is the end, my only friend, the end... yup. R&R!)


End file.
